Into the Fray
by Norad38
Summary: It's said that the universe of the dreamkeepers and the universe of the humans run parallel to each other. That it is impossible for a human or dreamkeeper to cross over into the other reality... Well, let's just say, that may not be entirely true. After all, humans and dreamkeepers have a tendency to break through anything. Even if it isn't intentional.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The nightmare begins

* * *

I held two cups of coffee. One for Thomas, and one for me. It was around midnight night now and it was our turn for watch duty. Living on a survivalist compound in a blizzard wasn't exactly my definition of a great time. Then again, it ain't exactly some dirt floor ghetto in the middle of nowhere. It was built around a old radio station that closed in the eighties in the middle of Alaska. It was just a matter of renovating the station and adding a barrack, underground shelter, armory, and warehouse. All of it had solid floors and smelled like cleaning chemicals and was cleaned once a week by everybody It was cozy out here, it was just really damn boring. I entered the monitor room, he was watching the screens intently. The compound was self sustaining and defensible. Ready for the end, even if it never comes. We all had a role here. I served as the primary physician here, I learned medicine and basic field surgery. Before that, I was in charge of logistics, taking inventory of all our supplies. I could handle anything from paper cuts to severed limbs. There are twenty of us here. Four different families that pooled their income to sustain this lifestyle. Each night, six of us would go out there to a system of trenches and brick pillboxes to watch each sector. Two would watch the cameras and keep in touch with everyone. Tonight, was our night. I entered the surveillance room, Thomas stared intently at twenty five monitors. His finger hovered near the intercom, ready to alert everyone in the event something happened. I placed the cup next to him and he shook in surprise. "Calm down Thomas."

"Yea, yea. Sorry."

"You've been playing that five nights game haven't you?"

"Yea, and I'm half expecting to see some robot bear pop out and try to fucking murder me."

"Christ Thomas, you laugh at me for being afraid of old Siberian tales and yet you can't handle a jump scare video game?"

"Hey, it's terrifying."

I laughed and drank some coffee. "You're tired. Get some rest Thomas. I'll take it from here."

"You sure?"

"Yea, it's fine. Don't worry."

"Well...Alright, wake me up if something happens."

He backed away on the swivel chair and leaned back in it. I sat down and took a sip of coffee. Extra cream and sugar. Hate the stuff but I'll never survive without it. I looked at all the screens and picked up the radio. "Radio check, everyone report in."

"Sam here, nothing on the north side."

"Delilah reporting, all quiet. Over."

"Sarah, nothing. Over."

"Ansley, I got nothing here. Over."

"Robert here, nothing. Over."

"Tom, nothing here either. Over."

"James, nothing. Over."

"Richard, all clear. Over."

"Copy that, maintain positions and keep and eye out. It's gonna be a long night. Over and out."

They all responded and clicked out. I continued to watch the cameras. Nothing.

"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The hell? Thomas shook awake and I quickly picked up the radio. "Everyone report in, what the fuck was that?"

The, the chatter of a automatic weapon pierced the air. I couldn't see anything on the surveillance cams. "Sam here, I heard shots! Over!"

"Delilah here, I heard it as well! Over!"

"Sarah here, that came from the eastern side! Over."

"Robert here, Ansley is in trouble! Over."

"Tom here, I'm going over and help him! Over."

"James here. Don't move Tom, stay where you are! Over."

"Richard here. Charlie, get everyone up! Over."

I hit the radio again. "Ansley! Are you there, pick up the fucking radio! Over!"

I heard it crackle. "Help...Please, help..."

He sounded like he was in pain, he could barely speak. "Shit, hang in there Ansley, I'm on the way! Over!"

Marcus pushed past me. "Charlie! Get your kit and help Ansley! I'll be here."

"Got it!"

I ran out of the surveillance room and put on my winter coat in the process. As I ran out into the blizzard across the courtyard, I heard the intercom come to life as alarms began to blare. "Everyone wake up! Wake up! Arm yourselves and get to your designated stations! We are under attack! Code red!"

I reached the armory and opened the heavy steel door. Inside, several of the other residents had begun taking up arms, I quickly ran over to my locker and grabbed my equipment. One makarov pistol, my survival kit and a trauma bag. I quickly loaded a magazine and ran out with several others, splitting up as they went to their positions in watch towers and cement barricades. I jumped over a trench and down the hill. I had to save him. Eventually, I managed to navigate my way to his pillbox. The steel door had somehow been torn off. I peered inside, Ansley was still there, holding his guts in. Beside him laid... It looked human, but not quite right, very thing and heavily atrophied. An elongated body structure clearly showed it wasn't human as well as it's claws. I think it's called a wendigo. I then set my gear down and checked his pulse...Nothing... His body had frozen over and had locked his body in place, giving the impression he was alive. I turned the wendigo over and saw that a blade had been stabbed through the heart. His silver knife, so that's how he killed it. I ripped it out and put it in my pack. However, before I could call it in, I heard gunshots and a blast from the compound. I looked outside and saw fire coming from the courtyard as the radio tower fell. SHIT! I hit the radio. "Any one out there? Come in, does any one read?"

Nothing, but static. The relay tower is out and this blizzard is blocking the signal. I began to race up the hill. Pistol at the ready. I heard shuffling in the snow behind me. I quickly whipped around and fired blindly. Whatever it was, it shrieked and ran out into the blizzard. I didn't even see it. It was too fast. I continued to run to the compound. It was a mess. The comm room was burning, some of the barricades had been completely destroyed and several bodies laid about the courtyard. Both human and wendigo. Where the fuck did everyone go! "Hello! Holland? Thomas? Delaney? Where the fuck did you all go!"

I looked around, scattered cartridges laid on the floor leading to... the bunker. I quickly ran towards the shed where the entrance was located. I quickly opened the shed door and shut it behind me. The bunker hatch had already been uncovered. I quickly entered the code into the keypad.. only for it to deny access. The fuck?! I hit the comm button. "Hello? Is anyone down there? I'm still up here! Help!"

I waited for a moment, then Thomas's voice came out of the speaker. "Sorry Charlie. No can do. Your dad initiated the isolation protocol. No one get in, no one gets out."

"God damn it Thomas, open the fucking hatch!"

"I'm sorry but I can't. You know your father, for the greater good. There are only ten of us in here. He says he won't risk one of those things getting in here."

"FUCK! I DON'T BELIEVE THIS SHIT! I GO OUT TO RISK MY LIFE AND THIS HAPPENS, PUT THE COWARD ON THE LINE, I WANT A DAMN GOOD REASON WHY HE WON'T LET ME IN!"

"He... He won't... I'm sorry... There's nothing I can do. He locked himself in his office. He won't talk to anyone."

"FINE, FUCK IT! FUCK HIM TOO! I'M TAKING OUR CAR AND GETTING THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

"Alright, stay safe Charlie."

"Bye Thomas. If I survive and this all blows over. Tell my dad, I think he's a selfish prick."

I quickly stood up and ran to the back out into the courtyard. The garage wasn't too far away. If I could get to it, I can take the pick up and get out. I may be too young to drive but that doesn't matter. This is a matter of survival now. I entered the dusty room. There were three cars. A station wagon, a truck, and a jeep. The truck was mine and my father's. We drove here every summer from anchorage. He had it since the eighties and had reinforced it with iron plating when he joined the group. I opened the door and and quickly shut it. I opened the glove box and pulled the keys. Easy easy, just a stick shift, do what dad taught you. It's not that hard. I quickly put the keys in the ignition,shifted gears and floored it, smashing through the wooden garage door and into the blizzard. The head lights on the damn thing could barely pierce the darkness and snow. I kept an eye out for any more wendigoes, however, they seemed to have left the area entirely. Perhaps they believed they had killed everyone. Still, that doesn't explain why they aren't feasting on the bodies. I drove as fast as I could. Past the wrecked comm tower and the front gate. Over the bridge and out into the woods. I hit the wipers, hoping the snow wouldn't pile up.

I continued to drive through the darkness. However, a pair of headlights appeared in front of me. I quickly slammed the breaks and the other vehicle did too. What the hell? How is that out here? There's nothing for miles but open wilderness out here. Why is there a car here?

I quickly picked up my pistol and opened the door, positioning myself so I could use it as a shield. They did as well. I could tell it was a military vehicle. An MRAP. I lowered my gun. Maybe they knew these things were out here and they came to help. "Hey! Who are you?"

"Put your weapon down kid!"

"WHO ARE YOU?"

"We are here to save you, but you need to trust us."

Before I could respond, the something landed nearby. It looks like a... OH SHIT! I turned away just in time to avoid the disorienting effects of the flash-bang. I quickly turn-

A rifle butt hit me in the face. I fell backwards and someone pinned me down. When everything stopped moving, I could see a soldier in front of me, shining a light into my face, I couldn't see. "What do we do sir?"

"We can't have any witnesses, and we forgot amnestics. Use the stone on her."

"Sir are you-"

"Yes."

"Alright, everyone get back. Private, get the object."

"Yes sir."

They shuffled about and the soldier holding me let go but aimed his rifle at me. Ensuring I couldn't move without retaliation. I couldn't do anything. Then, the other soldier came back with some strange object. "Sorry kid."

And he threw it.

* * *

Hot...

Hot...

It's HOT!

I opened my eyes. It's bright. Too bright... I'm on the floor looking at the sun. This isn't right. I feel dirt, not snow, where am I. I quickly sat up and tore off my winter clothes. I wasn't in a arctic forest anymore. It was a deciduous forest I think? How the hell did I get here? What trees are these, why are the conical? Where the hell am I, I've never seen anything like this in Alaska. I... I feel... Wrong. Something isn't right! I looked down... my legs, why aren't they jointed right! And why are my hands... Furry? I don't feel right. I touched my head, ears, they're rounded and on the top of my head and... I need a mirror. I stood up carefully, trying not to fall flat on my face and... OH MY GOD! What ever looked at me in the mirror... It wasn't human. It's not me! It's a a god damn snow leopard! White with little spots all over. What the fuck did those soldiers do to me! I looked around, trying to figure out where I was... Whatever... Too late. Get a bearing, figure out where I am and where I have to go. That's all that matters now. These trees should be easy enough to climb.

I unslung my kit and fished out my binoculars, these trees should be easy enough to climb. Besides, there are holes in these trees at their base. I climbed in and crept to the top, the leaves crackling under my paws as I went. When I got to the top, I could instantly spot a tower in the distance. I raised my binoculars and looked at it. Definitely man made, extremely unlikely to be uninhabited, I can still see windows that look sparkling clean. If I could get to it, maybe I can figure out more about where I am.

I slid back down and went back to the truck. It had somehow landed in some ditch, the front wheels were stuck and the mud was slick. No way in hell I'll be able to get it out. I picked up my pack as well as the makarov, quickly checking the magazine to see I still had plenty of ammo left. Then, I holstered it and began to rifle through the glove box for anything useful. Old recites, owners manual, registration, yata yata yata, oh hey, a granola bar. Hell yes. I quickly took the thing and ate it. Granola and honey, nature valley. I lifted the cushion up on the seat where I knew we had left a gun inside. Inside was a spas 12 and three boxes of shells. Dad's emergency kit. I would take it with me but it's way to big, I won't be able to hide it on me. I stashed my winter clothes inside, shut the seat, took the keys from the ignition and shut the door, making sure to lock it. If I can, I should come back for this thing once I get some proper equipment to drag it out of the ditch, it is a good car after all. All I was wearing now was a purple sweater, some brown jeans and a blue t shirt. I climbed over a rock and headed in the direction of the tower. This should be fun.

* * *

I had found a dirt road out here and I was following it, it was man made for sure because there was fencing here that clearly had nails in it. There were tracks here too. Fresh ones, from a cart and a four legged animal. Likely a horse. Maybe there are the equivalent of Amish people out here roaming about. That or this is close to a farming community and the person doesn't own a car. I continued my walk through the country side. Very quiet out here. It is definitely close to October here from the looks of the environment. Orange leaves, cold weather, mud... Nothing out of the ordinary really. But though it was the middle of July in Alaska and there was a freak snowstorm there so the change in climate is quite strange. I took another look at my hands. The weird thing was that my hands were still hands and my body structure was relatively the same. My feet had become legs, I had a tail, my head was a snow leopard's and my body was covered in fur. Apart from that, everything was the same. I swayed my tail over and grabbed it. Definitely real. I wonder what happened though. I'm clearly not on earth but that would be impossible. Then again, I didn't think wendigos existed so you know... Getting sent to another world might not be too crazy either. Why was I a snow leopard though? I like wolves more... I guess it might be because my parents are from Siberia but... I'm not even sure myself. *Thawk!*

I quickly ducked down and jumped to the side of the road. I heard something from ahead on the road behind a row of trees that the road twisted around. I can also hear yelling, can't really hear who it is though. I quietly crept through the bushes, taking care not to rustle the leaves or step on loose twigs. "-I already gave you what you want, what else could you possible need?"

"MORE DIBSHIT!"

I approached the road and saw that there were two individuals. One looked like a white bear and the other looked like a green squirrel. Okay, this is really weird, clearly, there might not be any humans here. But hey, at least I'll blend in and the speak the same language so it might not be that big of a jump from being human to this. The squirrel was leaning against a toppled cart with the animal still attached, he was trying to get away from the bear who held very large knife. Around them, it looked like there were barrels of produce as well as bottles of what I could only assume is alcohol.

"I gave you what I had, what mo-"

"You know what the fuck I'm talking about Kirk, don't bullshit me! Give me the good stuff!"

I quietly picked up a rock and snuck up behind the bear. The other guy couldn't see me behind the him which meant he wouldn't give me away. "And if you thin-"

I hit him in the back of the head, causing him to shut up and fall over unconscious. "Oh spirits!"

The squirrel sat back against the cart, clearly petrified by the ordeal. He clearly had a few cuts on him as well as a broken leg which was likely hit with a club of some sort and cut and cut with that knife the bear was holding. "Don't worry pal, I'll patch you up."

I set my bag down and opened the trauma kit. I put on a pair of gloves before I took out a pair of scissors from the kit and cut his pant leg open. Quiet messy. I took a tourniquet out of my pouch and tied it a hands length away from the lacerations on his thigh to slow blood loss. I then took out some water and poured it on the wound, washing away some of the blood. He hissed in pain. "Listen kid, I appreciate this and all, but you really shouldn't have done that."

I used some gauze to clean up the water and blood. A couple lacerations, nothing that couldn't be fixed. He might have a limp for a while though, at least the bone appears to shattered in one spot so it's not totally screwed. "Why?"

"Because he'll just come for me and my family."

I poured some alcohol on a rag and applied it to the wound, causing him to flinch. "And let me guess, he has dirt on you and it would be life destroying if it did get out so you can't call the police."

"I...Yes."

Well, it's clean for now. I pulled out a needle and some thread, time to suture the wounds. "You... Mind if I call you Kirk?"

"No, go ahead."

"You want morphine Kirk?"

"Nah, I'm fine."

"This will hurt a bit, and you still have to walk."

"Don't worry, I've done this before."

"Alright. You can call me Charlie."

I stuck the needle in, making sure it poked through the other side before looping it around to continue. Surprisingly, he managed to hold still, he was gritting his teeth the entire time though, tensing up as I pulled the needle through his leg. "Well Kirk, to answer your previous question... I did what I had to do to save you and that guy won't be coming for you."

"Are you sure?"

"I hit him in the head and knocked him out. And the fact that he is bleeding is proof of that. If he does come out of this, he won't exactly function like he did before. He will have brain damage so it's very unlikely he will be able to come for you."

I finished sewing up his leg and secured the twine. Now, bandages and something to splint it. I took a two small planks from the destroyed cart as well as a lot of bandages. I wrapped the leg up before I splinted the leg with rope I found laying on the ground. Looks like it would hold. I carefully stood him up, making sure he could stand against the cart for support. "Alight, you'll be fine for now but you should really get to a hospital. You might be out of commission for a while but it beats dead."

"Thanks kid."

The cart was still overturned and trashed. The axle was damaged and the main body was torn apart. How the hell did that happen anyways? The animal on the other hand resembled a horse but it was clearly green and... well, obviously not a horse. It seemed alright other then a few scratches it had and it had a saddle. Well now. "Hey, can you give me a ride?"

He leaned against the cart. "What?"

"You know, unhitch this boy and get riding with me."

"I can't leave this stuff behind."

"Just come back later to salvage it. Besides, I think your life is more valuable then whatever is left out here. If you don't get that wound looked at properly, it could get infected. Then you'll have to amputate it."

"At least help me hide this stuff."

I picked up one of the intact boxes and carried them to the side of the road."Alright fine, but you have to get me a ride to that city."

"I was headed to the small town just outside the city. I'll have to drop you off there while I talk with a friend about this. You're gonna have to walk the rest of the way."

"Alright. I'll take all the help I can get."

I went back to collect more of the produce on the ground. Then, he asked a question. "Why are you headed to the Anduruna anyways?"

So that's what the city is called. Well, I need to fabricate a story because telling this guy I'm human might make me look crazy. "An opportunity. The orphanage back home was too full and understaffed so I decided to run to Andaruna to see if I could have a second chance."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't feel bad... What's happened happened. Nothing I can do now. All I can do is keep going."

I bend down and... What the hell? Why is the guy covered in vines. "Kirk... What happened to him?"

"Oh yea, it's nothing. There are plants out here that do that. They don't really prey on dreamkeepers, it more... They think he's a viable source of neutrients and they want to suck it out of him."

"Should we be concerned?"

"Nah. So long as none of us fall asleep out here, we should be fine."

"Alright. Now I really want to get out of here."

"They hurry. The sun's going down."

* * *

"Come on, I've got ya."

"Ugh, I'm trying."

I carefully assisted Kirk off the animal, making sure his bad leg wouldn't the ground too hard. We had arrived in the middle of the afternoon at a small farming community outside the city. There were fields of crops and farm animals roaming about their pens. A wall separated the farmland from the actual city. I'm not sure what to think about this. Is this like... Some sort of feudal modern mash-up society in which all the poor farmers live outside the city and the rich people live inside the city? Clearly, that tower has been made with metal and glass, something a medieval society definitely couldn't put together due to the amount they would have needed to construct the tower. The sheer size alone is a testament to that. Maybe it's like that book hunger games in which all the rich people live in the city and all the poor workers and farmers live outside the city. That might explain some things but that doesn't seem like the case. These people do look like they live in relative comfort and well fed from the looks of it.

I began to walk Kirk to the door of a small cottage. One story, maybe three rooms inside. There was a vegetable patch in the front and some sort of enclosure outback that I only caught a glimpse of when we were coming down the road. We stepped on the porch and he knocked on the door. "Alright kid, just let me do the talking, and everything will go smoothly."

"Okay."

I could hear footsteps from inside before someone answered the door. He... Looked kind of like a cheetah that was mixed with a lynx or a caracal. That would certainly explain why he's got the pointy ears. His hair was a mix of purple and read and he had blue spots along his body. "Woah! Kirk! What the hell happened to you?"

"Got attacked by him again. Fortunately, this kid saved me."

"Well, get inside and rest. I'll get a doctor for you as soon as possible."

"Thanks Robert."

Robert helped me walk Kirk inside. This place was nice. It was warm, well furnished and had lights on. I took him to a couch. Robert then called for someone else. "Vi! Get over here, Kirk is hurt!"

"What!"

A female voice sounded from behind a door. After we set him down on the couch, a pink and black rabbit with a very long tail, who I assumed was Vi, came out of what I the door to, what I guess was, the basement. "What happened?"

"He was attacked by Brutice again."

"God damn it! That's the third time this month, I swear, if we ever find him, I'm gonna rip his arms off and – Who is this?"

I extended my hand. "My name's Chalrie, and don't worry about the bear, I hit him in the head with a rock. He's not walking away from that."

She shook my hand. "Well, my name's Vi. Thanks for saving Kirk here. Bastard couldn't make a fist even if he tried."

Kirk protested. "That's not true!"

"You know it is Kirk. You had to get your ass bailed out by a kid, that does say something about you."

"He used a power and the only reason why she managed to beat him was because she got the jump on him."

What the hell is a power? "You know your power too Kirk."

"Yea, but what can growning plants from the ground do against a guy who can literally knock my off my feet with telekinesis."

Okay, so it's like some... super power or something? Wait a second. That's why that guy was covered in vines. He must have told me to hide the stuff so he could do it without me noticing. Clever."A lot if you can grow a pair as well."

"I can't! Besides, I've got him tied down there, what more do you want?"

Alright, this may be escalating too far. Fortunately, Robert decided to cut the fight off before it even started. "Alright, calm down you too. What's happened has happened. The most we can do is recover what was left behind out there."

Vi sighed. "I'll have a talk with Scinter but he might not like what he has to hear."

"Okay, you do that, I'll talk to the kid."

Vi pulled out a phone and went into another room for privacy. Robert turned to me. "Alright kid, I need to ask you a few questions, is that okay?"

"Shoot."

"Did you see anything strange when you were walking down that road?"

"Like what?"

"Any lights, strange objects, anything?"

Shit, he might be referring to me. "No, why?"

"Well, Vi and I saw something out there. We just wanted to know if you saw anything since you were traveling along that road."

"Well, I can't say I saw anything out of the ordinary since this is my first time heading to Anduruna."

"Oh, where did you come from?"

"Anchorage."

"Where's that?"

"It's a very remote mining town in the mountains. We don't really trade with the outside except for food."

"Well, can you point it out on a map?"

"Don't bother. We sort of got wiped out when a mine shaft collapsed and everyone in it died. Everyone is moving out of there because there's no way we will be able to sustain ourselves with our main source of economic income out."

"Where are your parents?"

"Dead. Both of them are dead, they were in the mines when it collapsed. I got put in an orphanage but I had to leave because... You know."

"I understand. Do you have anywhere to go in Anduruna, you staying with relatives?"

"No, I was hoping to get into another orphanage in the city, go to school and become a nurse or surgeon."

"You good at fixing people up?"

"Yea... Mostly, I'm more like a field medic then a surgeon. I worked in the nurses station back home and helped any miners that were hurt."

"Well, there are plenty of opportunities in Anduruna for a doctor. I think you'll be a fine addition to Anduruna's medical care programs."

"Is there a way for me to get into the city?"

"Sure, but you'll have to go through processing and then they have to put you in an orphanage."

"Okay. That's might not be so bad."

"That's the spirit."

"Hey, who is Scinter?"

"A friend."

"Anything else?"

"No.. You don't really have to worry about him."

"Okay, if you say so."

Then, Vi walked back out of the room. "Alright, Scinter told us to go recover the goods. Get something out of it. Meanwhile, Charlie here will have to get to the city on foot."

"Great. Lets go."

I cut in. "Hey wait a second, what should I do when I get to the gate?"

"Don't worry about it. They know you are coming."

"How?"

"Scinter will tell them to expect you. They well let you in and take you to Grunn's orphanage."

"Where's that?"

"They well take you there. Kirk, I've called for a doctor, one is on the way. Come on Robert, the sooner we recover that produce, the sooner we can go back home."

"Sounds fine by me."

I walked back outside. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem. Stay safe kid."

"You too."

* * *

I approached the gate to the city, the walls were massive and imposing. Three guards stood out front, all of them wore strange, ornate armor with purple and golden markings on them. Two stood next to the gate and one stood a few meters ahead of them alone in the middle of the road. Above the gate door hung a banner with a red star and a capital a in the center. I really hope these people aren't communists or that would really suck. Just play it calm, I've done nothing wrong. Nothing wrong at all.

I approached the closest guard. "Hello? I was told you could help me get into the city?"

He looked at me. I couldn't even begin to describe what he is. It looked like a mammal but it had a tail that was more similar to a lizard's. "I.D please."

I dug through my pack and gave him my passport. "Here, this is all I have."

He took it and looked at it skeptically before handing it back to me. "Sorry kid, I can't let you in with this."

"But I was told you coul-"

"But maybe, you might find an I.D hidden in a ditch behind that tree in the distance."

He directed my attention to a tree in the distance. "I really hope this isn't going where I think it is going."

"Wha- Shit. Sorry, that came out wrong."

He looked around. "Look Scinter told me to expect you. I don't know why he wants you in the city or what purpose you could possible serve, but it's not my position to argue. There's a smuggler's tunnel by that tree over there, you can use it to get into the city. Someone will be on the other side waiting for you."

"Alright. That's better then what I thought was going to happen. Thank you."

"No problem."

I turned around and headed back to that tree, trying my best to not look suspicious. Fortunately, not many people were around and those that were here were busy doing their own things. I approached the tree and low and behold, there was indeed a tunnel. No lights though. I took out my flash light and shook it, making sure it would come on before I crept in. It was very musty and stuffy down here. It was thick more then anything, very stale air. The flashlight made it easy to navigate though and the tunnel was large enough to the point where a person could walk. I wouldn't really trust a person who tells me to get into a hole but hey, it beats being homeless. Besides, I've got a gun, what's the worst that could happen? The distance was quite long. Eventually, I could smell sewage. So this tunnel definitely leads into the city. I could see light coming down above from a small hole in the a brick wall so I shut off my light and put it back in my pack. I climbed out and low and behold, it was a concrete room with a water way with god knows what in it. A precarious looking plank ran across the sewage line. I could see a hatch on the other side above some rubble that lead up to an opening in the ceiling. I quickly ran across the plank trying to ignore the smell before I reached the pile and began to climb. I got the to top and- "Oh, hello! You must be Charlie."

I quickly turned around and saw someone else in the room I had climbed into from the floor. A female, not sure what species though, clearly a canine, she was white and pink and she had a little heart on hear cheek. She also had slight Hispanic accent. "Hi... Are you going to take me to the orphanage?"

"Yep. Scinter told me to come find you. Had to leave my post at the bar so I could take you there."

"What should I call you?"

"You can call me Indi."

"Thanks for going out of your way to help me Indi."

"No problem. Anything for a helpless orphan."

Okay, getting creepy. "I'm... I'm not going to have to serve as a drug mule or something like that for the rest of my life because of this will I?"

She laughed. "Of course not! What makes you think that?"

"Because there is some really shady stuff going on and the fact that all you people are acting so weird makes me think I'm interacting with a criminal syndicate without even realizing it."

She shook her head. "No, no. The only criminals here are the CCA. They're the ones who... Never mind, you'll find out when you're older."

"I think I can handle it."

"It's not about if you can handle it, it's a matter of if you'll even believe it. Now come, it will take us a while to get there."

* * *

The orphanage was on the coast, a grimy, rundown boat. Damn it. Indi had left me here once she had taken me to this part of the city. She told me that something had come up and that she was needed elsewhere so she left me when little boat transport arrived at the Margate district and had given me a letter that I would have to give to Grunn when I arrived. It was mostly quiet out here and the scenery was nice. Except for the orphanage that was in the way. Oh well, at least it's subtle. This was rather strange though. This was far too easy. I shouldn't have gotten into the city so easily or received help just like that... Maybe they knew I had arrived in the world somehow and they want to keep tabs on me. Maybe they knew I was lying when I gave them my cover story and this is just the easy way of luring me into a false sense of security... I don't know but I don't really have many options here, it's either this or live as a forest dweller for the rest of my life. I headed over, crossing sand dues and walking over plants that grew sprouted out of the ground, strange crustaceans scurried across the sand. I noticed someone on the beach, clearly asleep. A big fellow, a shark, male, appears to be morbidly obese but that could just be the anatomy. That must be Grunn. Empty liquor bottles lay scattered around him as well as pornography. Great, so I got a shitty caretaker. My god damn luck. I shook him a little, he grumbled a bit but he didn't respond. Probably best if I didn't wake him.

I decided to leave him and I went to the boat instead. I could hear people inside. I quietly went up. I could smell something cooking, can't really describe the smell, it was almost like the taste of boiled spinach. I took the stairs to the deck of the orphanage and saw smoke coming out of a room. I assume this is the mess hall. I approached the door and put my hand on it. There were definitely other people inside, I could hear them talking inside. I opened the door.

* * *

Sorry, I've been busy for a while. I've also been trying to straighten out my story lines so I don't end up contradicting myself later. I got a new chapter for my star fox fanfic up. I'm working on my zootopia one. Take care everyone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The orphanage

* * *

 _Ugh, my head. What's going on. The world was... Dark, incredibly dark. The smell... It smells like death... Where am I? Everything's blurry. I sat up, what is this place, how did I get here? The walls, it's like stone. I heard something shift next to me. Another dreamkeeper... Snow leopard... About, forties maybe... In strange combat gear... White uniform, black armor... Scar h and other equipment.. I'm wearing my winter coat, and my makarov laid in my hand. "Hello?"_

 _She looked to me in surprise. "Charlie?"_

 _Wha- but... That. "Mom?"_

 _"Charlie!"_

 _"Mom!"_

 _We hugged. "Mom, what happened! I thought you were dead! We were at you're funeral and everything!"_

 _"Oh, sweetie! I'm sorry I've got you so worried! How did you get here?"_

 _"I don't know... What is this place?"_

 _"No, I mean how did you get to Aundaruna?"_

 _"I was leaving the compound because we were attacked. On the road, I ran into some soldiers. One hit me with a rifle and then another brought out this rock thing which sent me here... What about you?"_

 _"I... I can't tell you Charlie."_

 _"Why not?"_

 _"It had something to do with mommy's work... Are you okay? Where are you?"_

 _"I'm at an orphanage... In the margate district. A place called Grunn's orphanage."_

 _"Oh... Well, that's probably for the best. He may not be the best caretaker but he's the most discrete."_

 _"Where are you?"_

 _"I can't tell you dear... It's classified."_

 _"But how will I find you!"_

 _"You have to wait... When you're older, then you will know."_

 _"Will I see you again?"_

 _"Yes... I'll try to meet you soon... Okay?"_

 _"Okay... Where are we now?"_

 _"I don't know."_

 _I heard a something in the distance. "What was that?"_

 _"I don't know."_

 _"It came from over there!"_

 _I stood up and went down the hallway. "Charlie wait!"_

 _I could hear her running after me. I continued the run until I ran into someone and fell backwards. The it was a German Shepherd! Looked like he was from Vietnam though. M16, American uniform, rucksack of stuff. Then, another individual. A fox, looked like he was British. Had an SA80, the uniform and gear as well. They raised their weapons. "Wait! Don't shoot!"_

 _My mother raised her weapon at them. They aimed their carbines at her. The German Shepherd growled at us.. "Who are you?"_

 _I stood up and got in the way of them. "My name's Charlie... Charlie Harrison... This is my mother, Mishka Harrison... Who are you two?"_

 _They lowered their weapons. The German Shepherd spoke first. "Corporal James Tanner. United states army."_

 _Then the fox. "Corporal Marcus Greenfield, Royal armed forces."_

 _Another voice rang out. "Hello?"_

 _A lynx came around the corner. He had a gray hoodie on and blue jeans, he held a browning HI power. He stopped when he saw us. He raised his weapon and we raised ours. James asked the question. "Who are you?"_

 _"Simon... Simon Henrickson... What about you?"_

 _We introduced ourselves... We all calmed down eventually and lowered our weapons... Marcus scanned the surroundings. "We should have a look around.. There might be more of people around here."_

 _The James nodded. "Right. Stick together everyone... I'll take point."_

 _He began to walk down the hallway and we followed him... I looked at the others. "Were you all... Human?"_

 _Each one nodded. So, mother and I aren't the only ones who were attacked. How long has this been going on? And why does James look so young. We eventually arrived at a large room... A girl hung in the middle of it, having just been skewered by a chandelier of blades above a hole. Strange creatures had arrayed themselves on the edge of the hole around the girl. Unidentifiable species, white and blond fur as well as hair. A small midget creature stood on the opposite end of the room, staring intently at the dead girl. Something in the middle glowed an eerie shade of orange before bursting outwards with smoke. "Mom... Is this real?"_

 _She stood behind me. "I don't know."_

 _A few moments passed. Then, a rumbling. The floor cracked and erupted. Swallowing up the girl and the fixture above before reforming into the shape of some entity resembling the things that were surrounding the pit... "What! What is this! How did they get here!"_

 _The small thing in the middle of the room looked around, surprised. "Gah! NO! GET THEM!"_

 _The creatures charged us. Everyone raised their weapons and fired. Bullets tore the creatures to shreds as the others fired into the beasts. They twisted and chunks flew off them as our bullets cut them down. Eventually, the gunfire ceased, only to be left with the sound of magazines and shell casings dropping as we quickly reloaded our weapons. The creatures laid on the floor, blood spreading out from their corpses... The midget had fled during the chaos, using the creatures to soak up our bullets as he ran. The creature's voice reverberated throughout the chamber. "No... This can't be... How did she do it! It's impossible! No matter. YOU WILL ALL FALL! YOU FILTHY HUMANS! YOU HEAR ME! YOU WILL ALL FALL TO LORD VOID!"_

 _The German Shepherd growled. "Not if I have any say you fucker!"_

 _He began to fire at the stony outline of the beast, and so did the rest of us. Nothing seemed to be happening. Then, the floor around the beast ruptured and pulsed outward, coming right towards us then... Nothing. A golden, translucent barrier stood between us and the rocks which slowly fell back down. Light radiated from behind us... A figure approached. Too bright, we all shielded our eyes. It let out a soft chuckle... It was comforting. "Not yet... You all haven't unlocked your full potential... all shall be revealed soon enough... The end is coming... You all must be ready... There will be more on the way."_

* * *

GAH! I shook awake and hit my head on the bunk above me. ARGH! It hurts. I rubbed it, trying to numb out the pain... I'm in the orphanage again... I can smell it... The familiar smell of the ocean, piss and bird shit... Damn, was that real? Was I seriously in a crazy fucked up place where a ritualistic sacrifice taking place... And there were others... And Mom! She must be alive somewhere here! I have to find her... Later, don't even know where to begin...Let alone the resources to do so... I would contact the CCA but.. I doubt they'd be much help... How many others were here? And from when? And how did that... Thing know we were human? I climbed out of bed, I was up before the other boys... As usual... They were up late last night working...

My introduction here was... Very awkward. First things first, I'm literally the only girl here, so I kind of feel weird. The boys were very surprised by my arrival and berated me with questions when the first met me. They only stopped when Grunn burst in demanding who I was and why I was there. When I gave him the letter, I could have sworn his face turned white. In the end, the boys introduced my to my room which was just a spot at the bow of the ship that was covered in tarp, separate from the others. I turned it into makeshift infirmary where I patch up the boys and accepted a position in the bunks. After all, why should I be more comfortable. In addition to first aid, I was responsible for cooking as well as the cleanliness of the ship... At least during summers and weekends. This means scrubbing the boat down every now and again and cleaning out the seagull nests under the dock's. At least, they're like seagulls. They make the same cries and look almost the same. They're just more... Rat like in appearance and they have sharper beaks. They're extremely annoying. I'm going to have to lay out spikes under there to keep them away once and for all. Prepping meals is rather easy, especially since it's the same thing every day. Some sort of root vegetable that makes a mash once it's chopped up and boiled. It tastes rather good believe it or not. The boys have to go out and catch blanders for Grunn so he could sell the meat... It's literally the only source of income he has.. No one fucking adopts a kid from this place.

Life here ain't so bad though. If you ignore the smell and constant feeling of being wet. The cutting room and the kids here reek. I get that they may not have soap here but come on! Basic hygiene is important for health and it's a mater of considering how others feel as well! They're used to it but I really don't like it. I do spend whatever little I make on hygiene products like tooth paste and soap which does help a little but the constant day in day out rough and tumble these boys go through always seems to render my efforts void. But I do my best, and they treat me like I'm one of them. We all talk , hang out, eat and play together. I don't feel out of place at all. I just hate the fact that Grunn gets drunk every damn day and lounges about. Can't believe I've been here for more then a year now.

There were about nine of us here. The Konkord twins, Mace, Whip, Narp, Gorse, Krin, Paige, Randy and Deral. Gorse was bulky and a bit fat but he was the largest and the strongest among the orphans here. He is a bit dense though. The Konkord twins were a pair of short purple cats... Incredibly short. I at first believed it was a case of dwarfism but some of the other boys had lead me to believe that Grunn had actually stomped on them and stunted their growth. Poor kids. Narp was a pink salamander, He was thin like most of the others but he was probably the most tame out of all of them. He was a bit cowardly though and very skittish. Krin appeared to be some sort of ape bear hybrid with red and yellow fur. He was alright, very kind and reasonable. Deral was a blue canine. He was like Krin but he did have more of a temper. Mace was a white and brown cat. He was alright. Kind but very lazy and mischievous. Whip was his brother, some blue mammal creature that can fly around. I couldn't even begin to guess what species he was or what ever he says. His words are gibberish to everyone else but somehow, Mace understands whatever he says. They were good friends though. Then there was Paige.. A new orphan, a cat, been here about... I've lost count now! She's a nice one... Very sweet. Friend of mine and Mace. We all get along. Then there was, ugh, Randy. Fucking asshole. Some goat thing that got sent here a few months back I think... Got disowned or something because he claimed to be from Sabaton towers, the place where all the rich live... He's the god damn worst! He's rude, a liar and a potential psychopath! He constantly bullies Paige and Mace whenever I'm not around and he's got all the other boys in the orphanage right under his thumbs... He pulls the cruelest pranks on Mace and Paige and the others are fine with it for some reason! I guess it's because they hate Mace but still! Have some god damn compassion for them! Then there was this rat kid... But he doesn't talk a whole lot.. Don't even have a name for him that's how little he talks. He's thin as a twig and tall... He's actually, kind of unsettling to be around. Makes my skin crawl like Randy does... I just don't get it.

Whatever... I stretched... It's dawn now... Time to get breakfast ready so the kids. Once they come back from blander fishing, they'll be hungry.

* * *

I served another portion of slop to the last kid in line... Where are Mace, Paige and Whip! They should have come for breakfast by now! I looked in the pot... There was still a small helping of the stuff left... A lot of it I had given to the others... I served four plates... Not a whole lot on each of them... Then, they walked in... Paige looked... Wet. Very wet. Oh no, not again. I moved a little bit of my mash to her plate and served them. "You three look like hell. Wasn't much left.. What happened?"

Paige huffed. "Randy knocked my boat over!"

Mace nodded. "But don't worry, I've got a plan.

So Randy did do something! Bastard. I walked around the counter and we all sat at the table furthest away from the others. Mace pulled out a small sheet of... Oh no. I put one of my hands on Mace's. "Mace, if this is where I think it's going... Well, it better be a good plan. Don't want any of you getting hurt."

"Don't worry, only Randy's gonna get it."

I looked at the bastard. He was telling the others what he had done to Paige. They were laughing. Assholes... "Alright, I-"

I smell something bur- OH SHIT! I LEFT THE STOVE ON! I quickly ate my food and left. "Sorry, got to go tell me later!"

I quickly ran into the kitchen. FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK! I quickly shut the stove off and put the pot in the water. Crap, the stuff's already burned on. I took my fork. Well, better get scraping. Don't want Grunn to find out. Last time he did, it was a damn nightmare. I started to scrap some of the larger chunks before putting some soap on and letting it soak. Okay, let's hope Grunn doesn't find out before this is done. I looked over the counter. Mace Had stood up and... Dropped something? Clearly, it got Randy's attention, who scrambled to the floor to seize the objects. They were shiny. "Ha! Finders keepers, STUPID!"

Oh that... Wait. "HANDS OFFA' THEM COINS!"

Oh shit... It's Grunn. He burst through the door looking... Very pissed. "I've been lookin' for them! Someone stole 'um outta my private office last night. When I find out who wuz messin' around in there, I'm gonna taka a longass oar and-"

Randy cut him off, snapping into a salute and straight posture. "I saw the coins fall out of Mace's pocket Mr. Grunn Sir! I was gonna give 'em back, 'cuz I know how valuable they are to you. Ain't that right guys?"

The others... Oh those fuckers! They agree with him of course... Well, here goes nothing. I really hope I live after this. "Grunn! It's my fault! I took the coins from the office!"

"WUT!"

He stared at me with murderous glare. "Last night, I was cleaning your office. When I was, I found those coins. Because I knew I couldn't just leave them around while I was cleaning or I would lose them, I told Mace to hold onto them for me... I know it's stupid but I really didn't want to lose those coins."

"WHY WERE YOU IN THER'."

I willed myself not to shake. "You told me too clean up... When you were half drunk. You said you hated all the flies that were everywhere. When I said it may be because of the all the stuff that's in your office, you told me to go clean it up while you slept elsewhere."

He scratched his head. "Well... Fine. But next time, never go into my office. Even if I tell you too!"

"Yes sir."

He took a whiff of the air and looked at the coins. "Ugh! What is that smell. Charlie, clean it up!"

"Yes sir."

I walked over and Mace grabbed me. "Charlie don't! They're covered in Slob pheromones."

"It's alright Mace. What do you think I'm gonna get, cooties?"

I lightly pushed him aside and picked up the coins. Slimy... what was that noise? Something burst through the door and splintered it... it was a slob. The creature looked at me and Oh F-


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: The orphanage

* * *

-UCK ME! I shook awake and hit my head on the bunk above me. ARGH! It hurts. I rubbed it, trying to numb out the pain... Wait a second. I looked around... It's the bunk room... How did I get back here? I looked at myself... I'm fine … The others are fast asleep. Wow, that was one lucid dream. Getting crushed by a horny slob, what an embarrassing way to go out. I sat up, time to go get breakfast ready for the kids. I got out of bed... I feel like I've already done this...

* * *

I served another portion of slop to the last kid in line... Where are Mace, Paige and Whip! They should have come for breakfast by now... Talk about deja vu. The kids came in the same order, and said the same things as they did in my dream... I looked in the pot... There was still a small helping of the stuff left... A lot of it I had given to the others... I served four plates... Not a whole lot on each of them... Then, they walked in... Paige looked... Wet. Very wet. Huh... I moved a little bit of my mash to her plate and served them. "Did Randy knock you off your boat Paige?"

She nodded. "Yea! What a jerk! I've never done anything to him, why's he got to pick on me?"

Mace pattered her on the back. "Don't worry, I've got a plan.

Okay, I think that may not have been a dream... Wait, that means. I quickly shut off the stove. Got it. I walked around the counter and we all sat at the table furthest away from the others. Mace pulled out a small sheet of... Oh no. I put one of my hands on Mace's. "Mace. I think you should give me those coins you have on you... It's probably better if you did."

He looked surprised. "How did you?"

"If anyone asks, tell them I gave them to you to hold onto while I was cleaning Grunn's office."

I reached into his pocket and took the sealed bag of coins. Okay, got to get this to Grunn. I quickly ran out the door and towards the boat. I could hear him in his office, moving things around. "Gah where are they!"

I knocked on the door. "Uh, Grunn? It's Charlie! I forgot to give you back the coins from last night after I cleaned your room."

He slammed the door open, looking very pissed. "Wut?!"

"Yea, I was in here last night. You told me to clean your office. I found these coins on the floor and they were covered in slob scent from one of the bottles in your room. I tried to wash them off but the soap wasn't working. I kind of forgot to give them back... I'm sorry sir."

He took the coins. "Fine... But never go into my office again, even if I tell you. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

"Good."

He slammed the door in my face. Whew, crisis averted. I'm just glad he kind of likes me. I save him a lot of time and hassle here. I keep track of purchases and finances as well as the others as well as inventory. I'm like his right hand... So long as it's not in his pants touching his dick. I'm not a kiss ass like Randy. I went back to the mess hall. What was the movie again? The one where the guy constantly repeats the same day? It was... I'll think about it later.

* * *

I hit one of the gulls with the long poker I had, trying to get the stupid things to clear out. Dumb shits. Every week, we clean them out and every week, they come right back! Mace and Whip were not too far away, cleaning up more of the nests. "Gah!"

I turned around. A large wave had hit Mace and Whip, causing them to be... Oh god! Is that blander slime! I blanched a bit before calming myself. I looked them them. "Oh come on! That's gonna take forever to wash!"

He sighed and looked at his jacket. "Yep.. I'll be smelling all week too!"

Whip said something. Mace turned to me. "He asked, how did you know I had those coins in my pocket? Even he didn't know... and I usually tell him everything I'm planning first!"

Okay, telling him I had a dream predicting the future might sound crazy. I'll go with something else. "Mace, I'm not stupid I hope you know that. Only someone like you would take such a risk to steal coins from Grunn... I know you pretty well and I know when small shiny objects go missing."

He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I had to do something against Randy. Why didn't you let me? My plan was perfect!"

"Did it involve covering the coins in female slob scent and getting Randy to pick the coins up?"

"I, yes actually!"

"Well, it wouldn't work out. Grunn is wide awake and sober. He would have come straight to the mess hall once he realized those coins were gone. He was looking for them you know?"

"Well... I still wanted to see how it played out. You know?"

"And what? End up with Grunn getting humped by a slob? He would have fucking killed you if that happened."

"I suppose your right... What would you do against Randy?"

"Not sure. Probably spike his food with laxatives and take all the toilet paper away from the latrines."

"Why don't you?"

"I'm not a monster Mace. If I put too much laxative in his food, he might die because he would have shit all the water out of his body."

"Oh.. Right."

He looked at me. "Hey, Charlie. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. What up?"

"Whip and I were planning on running away... We want you to come along as well as Paige."

"When."

"Tomorrow night."

"You sure about this Mace?"

"Yes! Life here sucks Charlie! Think about it. No more Grunn, no more mindless chores, we would be doing whatever we want out there and be free!"

"I don't know Mace. It kind of seems foolish to go."

"We need you Charlie! You're like- The best doctor we know of. If one of us gets hurt out there, you can fix us up!"

"What about Paige?"

"School starts tomorrow. We can just pretend we went, sneak off and wait. Come back at night, grab our stuff and ask her if she wants to leave."

"If she doesn't, then what?"

"Then she doesn't have to come."

"I'll think about it Mace. But I really don't want to leave Paige here alone... Especially with Randy."

"Okay, I-"

Loud footsteps could be heard overhead. Grunn popped his head down. He glared at us. "You three, get up here."

We all climbed up. God, he smells even worse, at least the water masked the smell. What could Grunn possibly want now? We stood before him. "I need yuh to get into town and grab another case of o' fermentae. The real deal, not the cheap legal crap-and yuh better git goin' cuz I really don't have the patience to deal with you today. Get the brandyale flavor- you know where tuh find it. Bring back thuh change too, don't you dare go spendin' any. And if yer not back here by midnight, I'm gonna flog you all into a coma. Got it!"

I nodded. "Of course Grunn. Come on, let's get going boys."

We began a jog to the shore. Grunn spoke again. "On second thought, yuh ain't hustlin' enough- be back by eleven instead. Now git!"

We began to run. Whip said something. Mace shook his head. "Geez, Whip – it's a good thing nobody else can understand what you're saying, or you'd be dead by now!"

* * *

We walked through the crowded streets of the Margate district. The hustle and bustle here really makes me glad these people don't have cars. They do have these strange equine creatures called manekales and the strange ostrich like creatures like kerricks, but those aren't really common here. I've been to New York before, the traffic is a damn nightmare there. Then again, we wouldn't be driving, but still... Aundaruna was a strange place, the architecture here seemed to be a mix of everything from Asian, European, Arab, and their own styles. Some even look like a fusion of these style as well. It's like that small world ride from Disney land but livelier and doesn't have that annoying song playing all the time. Regardless, it was quite the trek to get to that... "Shop" where Grunn got his booze from. Scinter's mark. The black market booze. Created by the same people who took me got me into the city and into the orphanage. They do seem like a very powerful organization if the product is so popular. The amount of income they get must be enough to fund a private army. From the looks of things, Grunn may be one of their victims. He was a sailor at one point I know that for a fact. Now, he's an orphanage owner. Perhaps they've got dirt on him and they've blackmailed so that he could raise potential recruits for them. After all, the boys did tell me about two other orphans named Bobby and Vi who left a while back. The same ones I just so happened to run into... It might be coincidence that they are working for those people but I think that's what happened. I never did tell them I had met those two because it seemed like a touchy subject. "So, what's the plan Mace. Where would we go if we do leave the orphanage?"

"I don't know. I do have an idea though. You- Whip?"

I looked around, Whip was gone- wait, there he is. Pervert. He's busy using his sweet and innocent looks to motorboat some girls. I guess he would have done that to me but I'm flat as a board. I almost look like a boy if I were to put some other clothes on. Mace went over and took Whip away. The girls were clearly disappointed by this and disgusted by Mace's smell. Mace put Whip on his shoulder. "Hormones in check, you on my shoulder. You remember what Grunn said? We don't have time to be flirting around. Just stow the cute act for now- if we're going back by eleven and have time to steal itching powder for Grunn's change, you can't be off some where else with your head buried in some girl's- OOF!"

Mace had unfortunately forgot to look where he was walking and crashed into a mint green cat. "Ugh, what the? - Blander slime?"

She spread her fingers and a trail of that crap flowed in between them. "Here, lemme help."

He gave her a hand. "I'm sorry, I should have been paying attention."

"That's okay, don't worry about it. Excuse me."

She left and we looked at her for a few moments. Mace kicked the floor. "Jeez, now I really look like an idiot. Don't I."

I turned to him. He was clearly embarrassed by that little screw up. "Ah, don't worry Mace. Besides, I doubt she'll actually care about this one little incident... She seems familiar though."

We continued our walk. "Have you met her before?"

"No... It's on the tip of my tongue... "

I know it's someone high up... But who? "Eh, all think about it later. Lets go get that fermentae. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can get home and get some hot chow."

* * *

Mace carried the box of fermentae while I walked beside him. It was evening now. We were close to the orphanage. I could see it. "Hey... Charlie?"

"Yes Mace?"

"Would... Would you like to go the the harvest festival with me?"

I turned to Mace. He looked at me sheepishly. Wow... I... Jeez... What do I even say? I mean... He is cute and all. Very mischievous... Caring... Sure he is a bit short and lazy but still... He is a good guy. "Sure. Why not. I've got some lucre saved up. We can have a little fun. It's been a while since I've gone to a street fair."

"Really?"

"Of course. You're a great person Mace. I wouldn't leave you hanging."

He really perked up. "Wow, thanks."

I nuzzled his hea- Bleh! I backed up. Right, blander slime. "Ugh, we got to get you washed first. No way I'm going to harvest festival with you smelling like that."

"Haha, yea. Sorry."

"It's okay. So when should we leave then?"

"The day after?"

"You sure? I... Yea, I guess that sounds okay. Alright, lets do it- Wait. That's a terrible idea."

He looked like I had just told him I hated him... Damn it. "What?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound... Rushed. I mean, we got to think about Paige Mace... If we don't invite her, she might have her feelings broken... Then it won't be like a... date like you want it to be."

"Oh... So, what should we do then?"

"We leave tomorrow I guess. Forget the festival. Everything would be too expensive I guess. And we shouldn't be stealing... That won't sit well with me."

"I... Okay, I guess your right. We leave tomorrow."

Yep... Let's hope whatever life we end up with out there will be better then what we have here.

* * *

Today, we go back to school. It was a hectic morning. I got up early in the morning to prepare breakfast. After that, we all ate and ran to school. Mace, Whip and I were walking together. Unlike them, I actually carried a backpack around. I know the first day of school may not need it but I feel like I do. It was very cloudy today. I think it may rain. Mace kept discussing his plan to run away with me. At first, the plan was to run to another district and get into another orphanage. Then, it evolved into running off into the woods to become forest hunter gatherers. The final plan was to become bandits. These plans were clearly not thought out and very poor but it beats nothing.

After we had got to school however, we split up, promising to meet each other later at lunch. The social center, AKA public school for dreamkeepers wasn't so bad. I don't really have a problem with it. The courses are basically the same as the ones back home. It's well maintained, the curriculum seems to be up to date and the people are mostly friendly. Of course, there is the occasional asshole but it's nothing to really be concerned about. Mace did have quite a reputation here. I don't know but he did something last year which made him infamous among the other staff and some students. My friend, public enemy number one... Who would have guessed. In school, I also managed to apply for a position as the assistant nurse. Of course, I don't get paid for it. I just... Procure medical supplies. Mainly bandages and soothing ointment for the boys if they get hurt. Other then that, I don't take anything else. The school here seemed to operate form primary to middle all they way up to at least freshmen for high school I think. I haven't really managed to find out how the education system worked here. It was a rather large school too. Considering the fact I think it's the only public school in the Margate district. That would certainly explain why we have to walk so far and why there seems to be so many mid to upper class kids here.

Oh well, today is the first day of school. Tomorrow may be my last if I can't get Mace to snap out of the running away plan. Then again, it might not be such a bad idea. I doubt I could earn a scholar ship to a higher university or afford to pay back a student loan. Now I get why being an orphan is really shit. It's not just the fact that no one provides for you, it's that your destine for a life of abject failure if you don't get adopted and preform well in school. Fortunately, since Aunduruna does act like the district from the hunger games minus the killing and the subjugation. Out side this region, there isn't much. The region beyond starfall mountains are pretty much unexplored and the nobody seems to go too far out into the ocean. Their technology is strange here. On one hand, they do have these hi tech things like data scrolls which basically serve as a desk top, tv and a laptop all at once. On the other hand, they also have the type of stuff we have and then stuff from way back when. They do have phones here and most of the wonders of every day life back home. Only difference is, they don't really seem to have motorized vehicles here. While I have noticed zeppelins do exist here, walking or riding on animals and animal drawn carriages seems to be the main methods of transport. There are water cars here that are like these little gondolas that travel throughout the city by aqueducts. They serve as the buses here. Naval vessels pretty basic too, with only a few actually having motors. Even then, those ships aren't that wide spread and they can't really survive the conditions out there like a freighter from back home. This means there are a lot of places the dreamkeepers have yet to explore or secure. A life as a bandit here may serve well... Ugh, what am I thinking! That's a terrible plan, and heartless as well! I brained a guy just to save a merchant when I first got here, I really shouldn't be considering becoming a new asshole.

I opened my locker and stuffed my pack inside. Alright, time for first day, welcome back orientation and some ice breakers. Conventional conventional. I like things to be orderly. Then, the intercom crackled to life. "Charlie Tomak, please report to the nurses office. We have a injured student you need to assist."

Seriously, the first day! I shut my locker and began to walk to the infirmary. I wonder who really screwed up this time. It's either a fight or someone had an accident. Odds are, it's a fight. It can't be sports accident because tryouts haven't even begun and there's no way in hell it could have been from one of the labs or the workshops. I arrived at the nurses office. Inside, it was that same girl from yesterday and a brown and white canine guy. "Oh, it you again."

She turned around. "Wha- Oh. I didn't realize you were the nurse here."

"That's alright, I didn't know you... Oh, now I recognize you! Your the viscount's daughter, Lilith!"

Lilith nodded. "That's correct."

"Alright. I'll take a look at your friend here."

I walked closer and inspected his nose. He already got some wadded up tissues stuffed up them. Good, at least he isn't bleeding all over the place. I picked up a Popsicle stick and told him to open up his mouth. He did so and I took a look inside. "Care to tell me what happened?"

"He got in a fight with another kid."

"Yikes, first day of school. Bummer. Well, he looks alright, his nose seems to be fine, his teeth look okay and he didn't bite his tongue so he should be alright. Just try to keep your head upwards so you don't leak too much blood. Got it? Say Lilith, you did an alright job fixing him up."

"Thanks. I read a lot so I have learned how to deal with most of these small emergencies."

"Nice. Say, what's a high society girl like you doing in a public school anyways? I always thought daughters of high ranking government officials would at least have some body guards or something like that or go to private schools... For safety reasons. I mean, what if some crime group or insurgency tries to kidnap you? I mean, the Troika had seen some resurfacing as of late and the Neon knives have been acting up as well. Isn't that a concern?"

"I wouldn't worry about it. I think the CCA has it under control."

"You never know. One day you're walking and the next moment, bam! You're being held for ransom by some terrorists."

"I'm sure it's alright Namah."

What? "My name isn't Namah. It's Charlie."

She seemed to realize her mistake. "Ah, my bad. You sound like my sister."

Huh, I didn't know she had a sister. "Well, I'm going off to classes. I hope I won't I have two in here again. Or at least, see you under better circumstances."

"Yep. Let's go Bast."

He held her wrist. "Wait.. I want to ask you something really quick."

Huh, okay. I think I should go. "Alright, I'll let you two... Finish up here. No funny business here alright?"

Then I left and shut the door.

* * *

I got back to the orphanage and shook myself in an attempt to get the water that had accumulated on my rain poncho. I don't know where Mace or Whip are. I didn't see them when I left school so I just went back to the orphanage. I really hope they aren't going through with the whole running away plan. I went up to the bunk rooms. The others were here playing a board game while Randy sat on his bed playing on his data scroll, Paige laid on the floor coloring a picture. She looked up and saw me. "Charlie!"

She set down her stuff and ran over to give me a hug which I accepted. "Alright Paige. I'm happy to see you too."

She let go and I ruffled the top of her head. She giggled. "Have you seen Whip or Mace."

She shook her head. "No, wasn't he with you?"

"Yea, don't know where they went though. Didn't see them after school. I hope they come back soon."

She nodded. I looked at the floor where her crayons laid scattered next to the papers. "Whatcha got there Paige?"

She ran back and came back with a sheet of paper. The picture was crude but still recognizable. It was her, Mace, Whip and I playing in a field. A sun with a smiley face and butterflies. "That's nice Paige. You're getting better at drawing."

She put the paper back down. "Not as good as you though."

"Patience Paige... You'll get better. Besides, I'm only good at landscape sketches, I'm not that good at drawing dreamkeepers."

"Okay. How was school?"

"Well, not a whole lot happened. It's the first day of school after all. Just some typical introduction to the course... icebreakers. Not a whole lot. Oh, but I did get a kid in the nurses office today. Some guy who got into a fight. He was alright, but I you know who else was there?"

"Who?"

"The Viscount's daughter, Lilith Calah!"

"Really!"

"Yes. It was her. She seemed... Normal actually. Very friendly."

"Wow! Wait, I thought you said the viscount's daughter went to private school though?"

"I know. It was very surprising. I don't even know why she was there. When I asked her she dodged the question so I decided not to pursue it. After all, it may be embarrassing for her."

"Oh, okay. What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know... Get some rest? Wait, Paige, can I take you somewhere for a moment?"

"Sure."

We left the bunk rooms... Okay, got to find a private place to go... Oh, the washroom. That should be quiet enough. I held her hand as we walked to the washroom, the tarps above us covered us from the rain. When we got there, I shut the door behind us. "Okay Paige, I'm going to need you to keep a secret alright?"

She made a little mock salute. "You can count on me!"

I laughed. "Okay joker, calm down. This is between you, me and the boys alright? No one else can learn about this. Okay?"

"Come on, you can tell me!"

"Alright. Paige, I know this will sound like a lot but... Mace and Whip are planning on running away... Tonight so that we can become bandits. They want to know whether or not you will want to come."

"Yes! Of course!"

Wow, that was fast. "Now wait a minute Paige. I want you to think about this. We aren't coming back here. Ever. Whatever life we may have out there will be hard and we might get hurt. Are you willing to take that risk?"

"Yes! Anything's better then here. We should take the chance."

"Okay. If you say so. We better get ready then. Wash our clothes, pack our belongings too. Get your clothes and I'll get Mace's. We leave as soon as he comes back."

* * *

Woke up. Something had woken me up. I opened my eyes. Mace! He's back! I could tell it was late out. Very dark. "Oh hey Mace. Where have you been?"

"Hiding. Come on, get ready."

"I am, and so is Paige."

"Really?"

"Yep, she said she wanted to come with us. We got your clothes in the washroom as well as hers. Get your pack Mace and get to the washroom. I'll be going up the the infirmary to grab the rest of my equipment. Okay?

"Okay. I'll wake up Paige"

I got out of bed and tiptoed quietly. I slipped on my backpack and quietly left the room. It was storming out. Very heavy. I wonder why the docks haven't fallen apart yet. I quickly left the bunk room and ran to the ship. I quietly climbed up and onto the deck. No Grunn... Good. I quietly crept into the infirmary. Ugh, it's dark in here. I took my flashlight out and began to dig around. Okay, the trauma kit, bandages, alcohol, soothing balm. Got to grab everything I can. I quickly stuffed whatever I could into the bag and-

Something pressed against my throat. Cold and sharp. What the hell! The person behind me tore off my pack and pushed me too the floor. My flashlight clattered on the floor. Fuck! "Well, what do we have here? A little girl trying to run away? We can't let that happen now can we?"

The person remove the knife from where it was pressed and-GOD DAMN IT! I growled in pain as the fucker slammed the knife on my palm, embedding the knife through my hand and into the dock. "FUCK! You asshole! I'm gonna kill you!"

"Now now, language. Who would want to adopt a girl who misbehaves?"

I tried to pull the knife out of the dock but it refused to budge. I tried to tu- FUUUUCK! The asshole slashed my calcaneal tendon. Shit! This fucker is making sure I can't run. My pack laid near by. If I can reach it, I can pull out my gun and shoot this bastard. He ripped off my shirt. What is he- Shit! He slashed my back. "Come on little girl. Scream. Go on."

"Fuck you!"

"Tsk tsk. Wrong answer."

God! Fucking damn it! He slashed me again! "Come on, if you scream, this will go a lot easier."

He walked around, I could see him now. He was a red canine. Looked a lot like the boy from back in school but he wore this strange biker getup. "You know you want to."

I spat in his face. He stumbled backwards. Now's my chance! I lunged for my bag and pulled out my pistol. I flicked the safety off and aimed it. *Click*

What! I pulled the trigger again. Nothing. FUUUCK! He had stomped on my wrist, making it crack under his heavy boots. He wrenched the gun from my hand. "Now now, can't have you playing with toys like this now can we?"

He unloaded the clip. It was empty! He sighed. "Ahh, you kids. You always seem to be getting your hands on things that don't belong to you... You know it's illegal for you to have one of these right?"

He threw the pistol to the side. "Now I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson."

He smiled as he brandished his knife. Shit. "MACE! HEL-"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: On the run

* * *

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

I jolted awake in a panic... That man. That fucking bastard. He tore me to shreds... Tortured me! Fucking sadist! I'm still shivering from the whole ordeal! Wait... I looked to the side, it was Mace, looking like he was about to wake me up and clearly startled. I'm back in the bunks again. I threw off my blanket. I'm fine... Everything is intact... I'm gonna get him... I'm gonna shoot that man and make sure he dies. The thunder should cover up the gunshots. Now, just act like nothing happened. "Oh hey Mace. Where have you been?"

"Hiding. Are you okay? You ready to go or should we wait?"

"I fine Mace... Just a bad dream. I can go, and so can Paige."

"Really?"

"Yep, she said she wanted to come with us. We got your clothes in the washroom as well as hers. Get your pack Mace and get to the washroom. I'll be going up the the infirmary to grab the rest of my equipment. Okay?

"Okay. I'll wake up Paige"

I picked up my backpack and slipped it on before sneaking out. However, after I left the bunk room, I quickly loaded a full magazine into my pistol and racked the slide. Okay, I'll be ready this time you son of a bitch! I ran out into the darkness, back to the ship and into the infirmary. When I got to the infirmary, I quickly grabbed a glow orb and threw it in before running back out before hiding behind some crates. I watched through a small gap between the crates, waiting for the man to come. I saw him, climbing up the ladder, and getting onto the dock before tiptoeing towards my trap. I quickly jumped out of cover and began to fire at him. Bang Bang Bang! The first three hit him in the chest and staggered him. He turned to me in surprise. A halo appeared... Power! I quickly fired at him again, hitting him but it didn't break his concentration. The something began to spread out between him and it headed towards me. It was incredibly black. I stumbled backwar- OH shit! I fell off the edge of the boat and into the water. I desperately tried to swim back up, when I surfaced I-

* * *

Sand... I'm on the beach? Cold... So cold. Am I dead? I'm lying face down on the beach. My head hurts like hell. I quickly got up. Where... How... Oh, right... Last night, we were trying to run away... I was killed by a man... Christ, that sounds weird. I mean, I'm okay! I'm fine when what only felt like hours ago, I was suffering the world most unimaginable and painful sensation. No words could describe it. That bastard is probably Josef Mengele! That would explain why we never caught him! Nazi bastard! My pistol laid tightly in my grasp. Okay, got to hide this. I quickly stuffed it back into my pack. Now, where did I- Oh, there's the orphanage. I stoo- Ow! I fell backwards. My leg! I took a look at it. Dislocated. Okay, you know how to do this Charlie. I grabbed my leg. Okay... Here we go. On the count of three... THREE-FUUUCK! Oh, that's better. I bent my leg a little. Feels normal. Stand up and put some weight. Okay! I'm good. I hope the others are okay. Asshole probably went on a rampage in there! I quickly ran back to the or- Wait. Why are there so many police men there? Indeed, several police officers and medical personnel were roaming the beach. Oh god! I limped back... One of the officers saw me and pointed. "THERE! SUSPECT SPOTTED! GET HER!"

What! I stopped. Several other officers turned around and began to run at me! Shit! I can't run! I quickly threw down my pack and pulled out my gun. I really hope this works! I put the gun to my temple an-


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 3: On the run

* * *

The last thing I heard was the gunshot. Now, I'm back here. I'm lying face down on the beach again. My head hurts like hell. I quickly got up. My pistol laid tightly in my grasp. Okay, got to hide this. I quickly stuffed it back into my pack. My leg was still dislocated. Okay, you know how to do this Charlie. I grabbed my leg. Okay... Here we go again. On the count of three... THREE-DAMN IT! I bent my leg a little. Feels normal. Stand up and put some weight. Exactly like last time. Okay, I can't go back to the orphanage and the police are probably going to be sweeping here soon. I began to limp to the city. Quickly. Need to find a place to hide. Once the cops clear out, I can go look around and see what happened. After that, get out of the city. That's the best thing I can do. Quiet. Need to move and find out what happened.

I got to the water car stop. Damn, more cops and too many people. Need something to cover my face. I looked into my bag. Come on, what wou- Oh, my scarf. I wrapped it around my face. Okay, should make me harder to recognize. And, a loaded water car. Just slip into the crowd, and act like a normal person. The water car eventually stopped and several people got off. I crossed over and embedded myself into the crowd, grabbing onto a loose article of clothing from another person to give the impression I was with them. Good, good , good. Almost there... Alright, I'm clear. I ducked into an alley way. Alright, everything is peachy. Now, where do I go from here... I stood in the alley way, the smell of garbage kind of makes it hard to think. Okay, I do have my modified handheld radio here. Let's see what the news is saying. I turned it on. "- news. Terror strikes in the Margate district as murder has taken the life of a innocent young orphan last night. The killers are two dangerous minors named Mace and Charlie. Yesterday, the young Mace assaulted fellow classmates and a teacher at the social learning center. Charlie on the other hand appears to be in possession of an illegal firearm. Both are extremely dangerous! Do not approach them. Call the CCA emergency hotline if you have any tips in regards to their whereabouts. And now, the winning lottery numbers right after this break."

I shut off the radio. Son of a bitch! I didn't... Oh god! Paige! FUCK! She's dead! Damn it damn it damn it! I pulled the gun out of my pack... Wait, that wouldn't work... I won't be able to go back in time to save her... I'll just wake up on the beach and... Oh god, I need to find the Mace! Why would the police think... Randy! That bastard! He must have told them we murdered her! FUCKER! That slimy son of a bitch! I swear if I ever see him again I'm gonna... Clam down... Clam down... Need to find Mace and Whip... Odds are, they've left the orphanage and are hold up somewhere... Now, where would Mace and Whip go though! I put the gun away. Alright, maybe... They are still on the beach? There are several shipwrecks over there. He did show me his hideout once... Wait, what was. I turned around. Whip!

"Oh, Whip! I was so worried! What happened? Where's Mace?"

He said something. "Damn, I can't understand you. Just nod yes or no okay?"

He nodded. "Is Mace okay?"

He shook his head. "Is he hurt?"

He shook his head. "Was he caught?"

He nodded. "The CCA?"

He shook his head. "Do you- right, you couldn't tell me because I wouldn't understand. Do you know where they took him?"

He nodded. "Can you show me the way?"

He nodded. "Good, I'll be right behind you."

* * *

My legs ached like hell. We had managed to cross into the Kojiki district. Slipping through the shadows and alleyways. We hid across the street from a home where Mace was being kept. "Is this the place Whip?"

He nodded and said some gibberish. Alright, going through the front door would be suicide. Don't know how many people are in there or if they are armed. Try the back, it's probably safer. "Lets go around Whip."

We quickly crossed the street, making sure not to seem too suspicious. We got to the other side of the house. There was a back door. I don't know how to pick locks. There was a window nearby though but it was too small to squeeze through "Okay Whip, go through that window and unlock the door. I'll be right behind you."

He flew up and into the house. I took out my pistol and racked the slide. A moment passed and the door unlocked. I qui- SHIT!

The door quickly swung open and something flew out. The pistol was knocked out of my hand and quickly snatched up. Then, I was dragged inside and pinned down. "God damn it! Let me go!"

A stranger responded. "Now now, take it easy Charlie. Don't do anything rash."

I heard a familiar voice. "Charlie?"

"Mace?"

He appeared from the corner looking very relieved. "Charlie!"

He ran over. The person who was holding me let me go and Mace caught me in a hug which I returned. "Mace! What happened? I thought you were in trouble!"

"It's okay, they aren't going to hurt us. They know what happened at the orphanage wasn't our fault!"

"You really believe that?"

"Yea, even Grunn is here."

"Grunn?"

"Yea, apparently."

"Mace, what happened to Paige?"

He looked down... Clearly uncomfortable to talk about the issue... The man who was holding me gave me back my pistol which I took. Now, I saw him. He was a lizard... I think? Wore the strange green goggles and had a neck brace. "I'll let you two discuss what happened. I'll have a talk with the others."

I looked back to Mace who recomposed himself. "She... Something... This thing, I don't know what it was, attacked us. There were two of them. I did my best to fight them off but I fell through one of the faulty floor boards. I tried to get back to her but that thing knocked me into the water. I guess it must have thought the water would drown me because it must have gone back to attack Paige... When I got to her, they already killed her... The others think we did it... Where were you? Why didn't you come?"

"I was attacked as well Mace. It was a dreamkeeper. He crept onto the ship and killed me-"

He looked up. "What!"

Shit, I slipped. "I mean... He almost killed me. Tried to cut me up but I managed to dodge him. He... He knew his power Mace! Used it too. The floor, it was like this black stuff began to cover it. I didn't know what it was but I didn't want to touch it. I jumped over to try to escape but a wave hit me and slammed me into the boat... When I woke up, I was on the beach."

He was clearly disturbed by this. "Great, so in addition to dangerous creatures, we also have someone who is trying to kill us!"

" I guess so... Could you describe what attacked you?"

"I don't know... It's eyes glowed blue and it had no legs... It's head was really long and so was it's body... It looked like it floated... When Whip bit one of them, it released this gas... It hurt to breath."

Wait, that sounds... "Was it pale?"

"Yea, how did you know?"

"I think I saw them in a dream."

"Really?"

"Yea... It was a really weird dream... That's not important right now. What's the plan?"

" I think we should stay with these people, they seem like they know what's going on."

"Are you sure we can trust them? Who else is here?"

We stood up and walked to the living room. There was in interesting group of characters inside. There was a large bird which I identified as Igrath Withers, Grunn, the lizard guy, some strange pink and purple girl and someone who was on the couch. Couldn't see the person because of the angle. Mace pointed to each of them. "You know Grunn already, but that guy is named Igrath, his name is Scinter, I don't know who she is, and the girl on the couch is the one we met from the day before yesterday."

Wait a second. Scinter? That's the guy who got me into the city. And who the hell is Namah? Wait, Lilith said that was her sister! I never knew... Strange... "I know everyone here... Kind of."

"Really? When did you meet them?"

"Scinter is the guy who got me inside the city and into Grunn's orphanage. Set me up with an identity and a life here. He's a crime lord but apart from that, I don't know much about him. Igrath was a former captain of city guards... Before he allegedly killed his wife because she was about to spill his connection to Scinter. Lilith, the green cat, is the Viscounts daughter and Namah is her sister."

"Really? You know all of this?"

"Yea, I pay attention to the news... And class."

"Wow... Wait, what do you mean Scinter got you into the city?"

"Well... It's kind of a long story. You see, I came from a remote town far outside Anduruna and-"

Scinter cut me off. "Charlie, you might as well be honest with him. After all, it will come back to bite you later if your mom tells him where you really came from. You're better off telling him now"

What! "You know where my mom is?"

"Correct."

"Is she with you guys?"

"Yes."

"Will you take us to her?"

"Not yet. We'll figure out what we should do with you all, just give us time."

"Alright, fine... What's up with Lilith?"

"She's injured. She was attacked by her stepmother Tinsel. Apparently she is a dark dreamkeeper."

"A dark dreamkeeper?"

"Those who have allied themselves with the nightmares we call dark dreamkeepers."

"I thought nightmares were just... You know what. Never mind. I was about to say that was bullshit but then I realized... Did my mother tell you about a strange dream she had?"

"If you are referring to the one where you and several other humans saw Lord void being summoned into existence and nearly killed, only to be saved by a unknown deity. Then yes."

"Wow... Damn, I thought that was just some weird dream. Hey, does my mother have a power?"

"She has yet to discover her power."

"Oh.. Good good... Well, I think I know mine."

"Really now."

"Yea, when ever I die, I just come right back from when I woke up. That's how I managed to figure out Mace had taken some coins and get the jump on that dark dreamkeeper."

"Interesting. Well, you should tell us more later. For now, how would you like to put your medical skills to work?"

"What's wrong."

"Lilith was injured by her stepmother when they attacked. Would you like to assist her?"

"Alright, I'll do my best."

"Good."

I walked over, only to be grabbed by Mace. "Wait, Charlie. What's this all about? Your mother, you dying, dream, everything! Why didn't you tell me? Are you even the person I'm friends with! "

"I... Look, I'll tell you later. Right now, I'm going to patch that girl up. I promise."

He looked disappointed. "Alright. Fine."

"Thanks Mace. I'll clear up everything."

* * *

After I had fixed up Lilith and we had finished our dinner, I told Mace everything. It was bed time. The others laid in the middle of a room but since we wanted to talk, we decided to move away from them and share a sleeping bag. I told him everything I could. Earth, who I was, the murderer, and my ability. He was kind of having trouble grasping who I really was. And when he found out he had killed me, he seemed to break a little. "So let me get this straight, your an alien from another world who was sent here by some strange artifact, as well as other people from your planet from different time periods and places. You were what was known as a human who lived in a place called Alaska in a country called the united states of America. Your name is actually Charlie Harrison and you have connections with a criminal organization that got you into the city and created a fake persona."

"That's correct."

"And your power allows you to die and come back to life from when you woke up. Which means you can't save Paige and that I killed you."

"Yes."

"Oh spirits. I really am a murderer!"

"Calm down Mace. I'm still okay."

"No! My stupid plan to help Paige got you killed!"

"It's not the end of the world Mace. And it isn't your fault! I should have listened to you when you told me the coins were covered in female slob scent."

"But still! I killed you!"

"No you didn't. Mace, look at me!"

I held his head and looked into his eyes. "I'm fine Mace. I'm clearly not dead and I haven't been flattened by a slob or chopped to bits by a murderer. What you did was an accident. It was nobody's fault. You're a good person Mace. I know you would never intentionally hurt me, Paige or Whip. The fact that you fought those things to try and save Paige is proof of that. I forgive you."

"Bu-"

Screw it. I'm not going to stay up all night trying to console him. I've tried my best but now, I need alternate means. I leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. That made him stop. "Time to get some rest Mace. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

I laid down and spooned him. He hushed up. We should be good for the night. "Charlie?"

"What."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier? Don't you trust me?

"Mace, if I told you... When we first met. That I was a creature from another dimension with the power to die and come back to life from when I last woke up, you and any other sensible person would have thought I was crazy."

"Well, why didn't you later, after we became friends."

"Because I didn't really feel like mentioning it. I mean, it's not like I'll ever be able to go back home. As far as I'm concerned, I'm stuck here for the rest of my life."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's alright Mace. You didn't know. Let's get some sleep now, we got a long day ahead of us."

* * *

WHOA! I felt my self being scooped up, I grabbed my pack in a frenzy. "WHAT'S HAPPENING!"

"Sorry, to time to explain girls- you gotta go now!"

He kicked down a shelf of books and ran down into a basement. He threw us on the floor. Igrath stood by a control console. "Keep your arms in and be careful wherever you end up!"

Pop.

What? What happened? How did... We were no longer in the basement. It was a strange room where was this strange luminescent material covering the floor and walls. Like ice.. It's very cold here. "Why yes, Igrath, my sleep was delightful. Good morning yourself."

Namah was here. "Wha-What?"

As well as Lilith. I looked to the side, everyone was here. Namah got up. "Goodness- Scones? How thoughtful."

Whip said something. Lilith responded. "Er... What did he say?"

Mace stood up. "He asked where this is- are you all alright?"

Namah got up, chattering. "Smashing. Euphoric. But I feel a bit guilty of taking advantage of such magnanimous hospitality."

Lilith stood up. "It can't be this cold in the city. Yet, that circle he threw us on- I think it was a telepad!"

Mace looked around. "Yeah, well. There was something back at the house that was freaking out all the adults. They seemed to think it was going to kill us or something."

"Well, that would explain why Igrath tried to get us away so fast... We must have been teleported from Igrath's house to here."

"Well, at least we're all safe. Right – im...u...uh...ummm..."

"Yea, safe- This is unbelievable! The only telepads ever constructed were for the Sabbaton public transit system! Where did these come from?"

Namah walked by. "So, to recap, there's something trying to kill us – Again? This day is off to a hell of a start... Level two: Cold."

"This is completely new technology! What is Igrath doing with a secret advanced teleport system in his basement? He doesn't even know how to use an info-scroll."

Mace approached a door on the far end of the room. I stopped him. "Wait, Mace... Maybe I should open the door. If something is on the other side, I'll just wake up again."

"I... Alright."

I pulled out a pistol. The all stepped back. I quickly opened the door and pointed my pistol. All clear. Some stone barricades and a double door on the far end of the corridor. Ice covered the floor here as well which gave of a bright blue glow. "Clear."

I holstered the gun. Whip said something. I turned around, he was holding a jacket. Mace smiled. "Hey, good thinking Whip! Where'd you find that?"

Namah took the jacket. "Nice!"

Whip pointed at a stack of crates in the corner.

Lilith opened one of the boxes. "There's more in these crates. We'd better bundle up until we can find some warmth."

We all grabbed jackets and a set of boots, with the exception of Whip who simply wrapped himself in a scarf. My sweater can only do so much to keep me warm.

* * *

I grabbed the handle to the large double doors and pushed them open. The outside light blinded me for a bit but eventually I got adjusted to the light. It, it was beautiful out here. The sky was a perfect shade of orange and red. I stepped out onto the balcony of the structure and looked to where the sun was. There was a city in the distance, lush green fields and the ocean. In the middle of the city was Sabbaton tower. I looked off the balcony and saw lots, and lots of snow. I heard Mace speak. "Whoa, I've never seen anything like this, I can't even see the-whoa!"

"Careful!"

I turned around to see Lilith holding Mace, who I presumed, nearly fell off the balcony while trying to look at the top of the mountain. She pulled him back only for them to fall over and onto their backs, but Mace's head fell in between Lilith's legs. I raised my fur... I feel strange. Namah said. "So does the old falling off the cliff routine work a lot."

Mace quickly got up, looking very embarrassed. "Sorry, I'll be more careful.. Just a slip."

Whip rolled his eyes and said something. Namah looked over the edge of the balcony. "You know, I've always wanted to visit the starfall mountains. They always looked so cool at night from the windows in the tower."

Mace joined us. "We're way across Anduruna? Wow."

Lilith came and so did Whip. Quite a spectacular sight. "Whelp, we are defiantly away from that Mokoi thing, or whatever that is."

Lilith turned to Mace. "What did you say it was?"

"Something was outside the window – someone yelled Mokoi. It was kinda like a huge moth, but I didn't get a good look...Igrath was saying something about death.

"A moth? That doesn't sound like it could scare Igrath. Did it have teeth, or...?"

"Yeah, well, it didn't seem so bad... The creature from the night before was worse. The sandman."

"Creature- so this Sandman isn't like a dreamkeeper then? Could you tell me more?"

Namah said something to Whip and took him back into the fortress. "Well I don't know where it came from. Charlie probably knows more then me."

They turned to me. I put my hands up. "Well, I'll I could say, I saw them in a dream. I was with others... Not anyone I knew. Dozens of them around this circle. It was like a strange dark room... There was a ritual going on. This poor girl was being suspended in the middle of the room by chains, screaming. This little thing was standing in the middle of the room... I know it wasn't a dreamkeeper but I couldn't identify the species... Suddenly the girl is killed and some strange lights go off and then... Something erupts out of the hole... Some entity calling itself lord void comes out. It tells the creatures to attack us and they charge us. The others and I cut them down and... I can't remember anymore..."

Lilith hummed. "Well. Was going to ask... I shouldn't. It really isn't any of my business."

"No, go ahead."

"I was thinking... The sandman- is it responsible for the... Did it kill that little girl?"

"Yeah... Yea... But what did you hear about that?"

"Oh, they were playing it on the news yesterday- I guess you not must have seen the broadcast but... Well, some things didn't seem right... And, well. They were saying it was you."

"What?"

"I knew it wasn't though. In the pictures, there was a huge bootprint too big for you to make so... I guess that was the creature's."

Mace clenched his fist, looking very angry. Lilith looked guilty for bringing it up. "Mace... I'm sorry. You must have been friends. I'm really sorry. I didn't realize..."

"It's okay- I'm just... I can't believe they would do that. Show it on the news. You know, the sandman was after me... It only got Paige because I escaped... Wait, thing didn't have boots on... It didn't even have legs!"

I growled. "Then the fucker I shot must have got her. He must have had a protective vest or something. He must have had enough left in him to go after Paige."

"You sure?"

"Mace. He took three shots to the chest from ten feet away and was still conscious enough to use a power. Fucker couldn't satisfy his blood lust with me so he took it out on Paige."

Lilith approached me. "Could you describe him?"

"He looked like a canine. Similar skull structure to your father but he had red fur. No hair. Black clothes as well, tall and lanky. About... six and a half... seven feet tall maybe?"

"That sounds like the person my sister saw with my stepmom, Tinsel."

"Do you have a name?"

"I think you should talk to Namah, she knows more then me."

* * *

Breakfast had mostly been quiet Some stew we had prepared from the rations we found in the ice fortress. This place is well stocked. Provisions, gear, clothes. Everything we could need to hold out here. Problem is, it's too damn cold. We'd freeze to death up here. We all ate in relative silence, each of us trying to process all the information we had been exposed to in the past few hours. It was rather mind boggling. After we had finished eating, we began discussing what happened to each of us. I had to introduce them to what humans were and my power as well as the strange dream I had. Of course, they did have some skepticism regarding the information I had given them but ultimately accepted it seeing as how there is no other explanation to why I was attacked and the things I knew. Namah was filling us in on who this Ravat guy was. Apparently, he had broken into the Viscounts private quarters to talk with Tinsel, a former celebrity who had blackmailed her way into the political world... by seducing the viscount. There was Viscount Liddo and then there was Calah. Reading the news really helps. "All I heard was they were trying to knock off some Wisp person or something and eliminating the anomaly. I guess that's you Charlie. I don't know how it could relate to that sandman thing attacking Mace and Paige though."

Mace asked a question. "So Tinsel and this Ravat Guy were both involved with... Whatever it was they were talking about."

Lilith was still confused. "I still can't make sense of that – You're sure you haven't done anything out of the ordinary lately at all? Why would you be chosen as a target?"

I added my own input. "I guess it could have something related to the group that got me into the city. I know Grunn is a part of it and they all know I'm human. They're the ones also working with my mother and know where she is. Odds are, the dreamkeepers hunting us are trying to eliminate other humans that are out there. They must have thought Mace might have been one considering how much time we spend together. Not sure why they're after humans though."

"So, I guess the question is, what do we do now? We could wait here for Igrath to come and get us- but there's no telling how long thet'll take."

Namah looked at herself in the reflection of a spoon."Ick, the way things have been going, it's more likely Tinsel will pop up and start strangling us with her hair and I'm not just presentable enough for that- I haven't even showered today"

"That's right! But even if there were showers in the fortress, the water would still be frozen..."

Mace stood up. "What about walking back to the city? We'd be hidden in the forest, plus, it won't be freezing further down the slopes. Maybe we'll figure out more stuff along the way."

"That makes sense, I suppose – what did you think Namah?"

Namah tossed her spoon to the side. "We shall stay. This will be our new kingdom and I shall call it Namahia."

Lilith began packing. "It's settled then, we have a plan- Let's start gathering anything we need for the trip."

I pulled my pistol out of my holster and checked the magazine. "Agreed. If the bastards who are trying to kill us get to that teleporter Igrath has in his basement, odds are, they're gonna teleport here and kill us."

* * *

We walked down the hill. Mace was in front, he had a sleigh with extra food and blankets we had taken from the supply boxes at the fortress. I had added a few cans of food, some rope, anchors and a ice axe to my survival pack. The other had done the same but it was mainly food, canteens, a primus stove, some cooking pots and matches. There was no need for navigation equipment since the tower was easily visible from where we were. It was just a matter of getting down the mountain and going through the forest that would be the hardest part of the trip. What's that rumbling sound in the distance? "You guys hear that?"

They turned around. "Hear wh-"

The froze, something was behind me. I turned around and saw something rushing down the hill. Something that was large, and brown. Defiantly not a good. Wait, is that someone riding it. "OKAY EVERYONE, YOU ALL GOTTA DIE, SO HOLD STILL!"

It was this weird black and white girl...thing. I raised my pistol to shoot her but she did something weird. A halo appeared over her head and she managed to split into several entities that began to encircle us. The beast opened it's mouth and revealed it's long tongue to reveal a pair of eyes. I fired at the tongue recklessly and jumped out of the way of it's attack just like the others. However, doing so, I tripped over myself and began to slid rapidly down the hill with the others. The cold ice scratched at my back but it was bearable with my fur and my coat. We all began to slide down in hill in an attempt to escape the creature and the giant wave of snow it was creating. I can't hear anything. Where are we- OH NO! I sailed off a cliff and into a hot spring. Fortunately, the water wasn't that deep, otherwise, I would have sunk. Then again, it wasn't to shallow to the point where I would break my bones, it was just right. The others were here and they climbed out of the water. They were missing their packs. We were trapped in a pocket of snow. The others started to try and dig their way out. I took out the ice pick and hacked away at the snow in an attempt to dig out. "HEY! YOU HURT MR SMILEY, NOW YOU HAVE TO PAY! WITH YOUR LIFE!"

I turned around. The strange girl had phased in through the top of the snow pocket we were hiding in. I readied myself with the ice axe. Before she could enact her plan of vengeance however, the beast crashed through the top of the snow dome and crushed her underneath. "Chalire! I got through!"

I looked to the side to realize Mace and clawed a hole in the new pocket and had run out. Namah shoved Lilith out with him "Let's not wait around to see if that thing floats."

I quickly followed them. Only, to nearly knock them off another cliff. "What now?"

Namah ran and jumped into the tree. "JUMP!"

I quickly joined her and slid down the leaves to the floor. I slid out of a hole in base of the tree and into another hotspring. Where to go now? Mace and Namah slid out and landed in the pool as well. Lilith came out but she was too slow. The damn thing had stuck it's tongue to her tail! I raised my pistol and aimed it at the eye of the beast. Don't hit Lili-GAH!

SHIT! " BITCH!"

The blue girl had split and simultaneously attacked me, Mace and Namah. Right now, the one fighting me was wrestling with me control for the gun. The sound of our struggle being drowned out by the chaos of noise and movement. "That's no way to talk to Wisp, I'II TEAR YOUR EYES OUT FOR THAT!"

"FUCK!"

She grabbed the gun from my hand and... Oh god. I felt my chest, blood was seeping out. I looked to Mace who looked utterly destroyed by what he saw. I could see tears in his eyes. "Mace-"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 4: Near death experience

* * *

WHOA! I felt my self being scooped up, I grabbed my pack in the frenzy. "IGRATH STOP!"

"Sorry, to time to explain girls- you gotta go now!"

He kicked down a shelf of books and ran down into a basement. He threw us on the floor. Igrath stood by a control console. "Keep your arms in and be careful wherever you end up!"

"NOOOO!"

Pop.

We were no longer in the basement. It was a strange room where was this strange luminescent material covering the floor and walls. Again! "Why yes, Igrath, my sleep was delightful. Good morning yourself."

Namah was here. "Wha-What?"

As well as Lilith. I looked to the side, everyone was here. For the second fucking time!. Namah got up. "Goodness- Scones? How thoughtful."

I slammed my fists on the floor. "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

I can't believe this shit! I can't fucking believe it! Wait. I looked around, the others stood still, clearly shocked by my outburst. I looked at my watch, one hour... It would be one hour until that crazy person attacked us. We can't waste time. I quickly stood up. "Alright, hurry up, grab supplies and lets get going!"

Mace tried to stop me. "Whoa, whoa, what's happening Charlie?"

"Mace, we have one hour till we get attacked by some crazy power user riding on some strange monster."

"What!"

"The bitch killed me once, I'm not letting it happen again!"

"Wait, you died again!"

"Hurry, there's no time, there's winter clothes in that box there and a store room at the left of the hall. Grab what you can carry and lets go. Talk about the situation as we go. Rest later!"

* * *

We scrambled down the mountain. I kept looking back, making sure the crazy bitch wouldn't be after us. Lilith and the others were discussing. I had already told them everything so they basically had to put it together themselves into a cohesive series of events. After all, I can only tell them so much. If they don't understand, it's pointless. We had gotten further down the mountain and reached a very steep drop. Once we dropped down from here, we would be able to get into the woods. I pulled out a rock anchor and set it into the ground. Tied a segment of the rope off and threw it down. I turned around. "Whip, could you go down and pull the rope? I really don't want this anchor to slip and die again."

He nodded and flew down. Mace came over. "So, you really died again?"

"Yep."

"To a power user who could make copies of herself, and couldn't be hit."

"Correct."

Whip flew back up and said something. Mace nodded. "Okay, he says it's safe to go."

"Good."

"One at a time. I don't want this anchor coming loose and all of us dying. Don't want to do this again."

I grabbed the rope and rappelled down, landing at the bottom safe and sound. "Alright, next!"

I stood nearby and watched the woods as Mace came down. He landed nearby and we waited for the sisters."How did she find us?"

"I... Your right, how did she find us... And at that, how did she manage to do it so fast? We were up for there for about... A little over an hour. Not to mention, we teleported straight from Aundaruna, it should have been impossible for them to find us."

"You think she might find us again?"

"Not sure. We need to keep moving though, if she comes, we'll have to do this all over again."

He was silent as we continued to walk. "What's it like?"

"What?"

"Coming back? You know..."

"It's... Tiring. Coming back... Going through routine again... It's scary too."

"What?"

"What if... What if I'm not really coming back?"

"What is that supposed to mean? You did come back to life."

"What if it's... I simply die and a copy of me wakes up remembering everything I know in another Dreamworld..."

"That's terrifying."

"For the most part, it feels confusing. You know, waking up again when you should have died."

"Like dreaming?"

"Yes, but dreaming implies I go to sleep and wake up where I left off. For me, I wake up, go about and when I die... Wake up... Like a lucid dream. I want to pretend it never happened but... It's hard with how I went out these past few times."

"What about Paige?"

"I got knocked out that night when I fell off the boat. Woke up on the beach long after Paige was... You know."

"Right. Sorry for.."

"Don't worry. I completely understand. I wanted to do it too... When I found out, I pulled out my gun and almost shot myself... Then I calmed down and realized what would happen... I'd just wake up on the beach again."

Lilith climbed down and Namah stuck to the wall like a lizard, watching out for her sister. They got down and we continued to walk through the woods. We continued to make small talk along the way.

Lilith began to ask question. "How do you think they managed to find us?"

Mace answered. "Well, the psycho-chick could fly. But the other thing..."

Namah walked ahead and looked around."Yeah- There's no way smiley could have come all the way from Anduruna in a few hours."

Whip said something. Namah turned around. "Uh, translation?"

"It's not just Tinsel and the Sandman anymore. Already today, we've got some mokoi thing and almost encountered a crazy flying scary girl and another Gigantic creature. Whatever's going on, it's big. I just wish I knew how we suddenly got caught up in it."

I checked the surroundings. "Well... I know why they might be after me... Namah, Lilith, Whip and you Mace? You all were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Lilith asked a question. "Do you think... Maybe the legends about the old wars were real? That nightmares really exist?"

"Maybe... I did have that weird dream I told you about. The one with that thing calling itself lord void and the strange underworld. They're probably hunting humans and they think you all are with me. Not sure why though."

"Yes, but that was a dream. We need concrete evidence."

"Well... Considering the fact that the government has a tight control over the press and all records, I doubt such information would be easy for obtain."

"They may be something in the Tower libraries. There's lots of information related to pre-Aundaruna history. If I can't find information on the nightmares, I can hopefully find something to give us a clue on where to look."

Namah looked around. "These monsters are proof of the fabled night whatevers... Did they suddenly get really bored of not existing? If anyone's been invoking dark mystic summoning rights. Now's the time to mention it."

"Scinter and Igrath seemed like they knew what we were dealing with. Odds are, we should link up with him. Figure out what to do from there."

"Well, I can say one thing. If that Wisp attacking us is the same one Tinsel is trying to kill... As much as I hate Tinsel. I have to hand it to her... She was probably right on that one."

Lilith sighed. "I should have stayed up last night and talked with Igrath. Then maybe we'd understand what's going on. Instead I dropped right asleep."

"Lilith, c'mon. You were hurt, you needed rest. Actually, you still look kinda sore."

We came upon a small stream. I was tempted to drink it but then I noticed the small particulates flowing though. This was runoff from the mountain. If the water thawed down here we must be a good distance away from the peak. I'd like to keep it that way. It was quite nice out here. I could understand why the CCA turned it into a federal reserve. If I had my painters kit, I could make some great paintings... Thinking about that, I wonder what those transcendentalist and naturalist painters think about this place. This would likely be heaven for them. I bet someone like Ralph Waldo Emmerson would have loved this place. His books aren't my favorite but I do like his paintings. "Uhhh, guys?"

We stopped to look at Mace. "Why don't we just figure this stuff out when we figure it out, I guess. Um- Whip needs to make a rest stop, could we take a quick break?"

Whip seemed surprised and said something. Mace laughed it off. "That bad huh? We'll just be a second."

Mace ran off into the woods and Lilith sat down. "I could use a breather anyways"

Namah began to dig around in her bag. "Well, I'm gonna... Hey... Hey, they have candy in these packs!"

I sat down and stretched my legs. It was due time for a break after all. I took out my canteen and took a sip. I offered it to Lilith and Namah. They each took a sip before giving it back, both said thanks. We are pretty lucky to not have encountered Wisp or the creature. We sat there in silence until a yell was heard. I pulled out my pistol. Namah with a mouth full of chocolate, looked at the woods with suspicion. "Just what do you think they're doing over there."

Mace and Whip burst out of the woods, something thundered behind them. "SIMLEY! SIMLEY! RUN!"

* * *

We weaved through the trees, trying to slow the damn thing down. It burst through all of them- FUCK FUCK FUCK! I tripped over a root. "Charlie!"

The others had stopped, looking at me and the creature. The beast looked at me with its eyes. Like it was smiling. Something snapped. I looked up to see saw a massive log covered with spikes fall down, impale the beast. Taking the opportunity, I quickly scrambled up and ran towards the large tree where the others had run. We crawled inside one of the trees openings, climbing up just in time to avoid the creature's sticky tongue. It looked at us, before it backed out.

I sighed. "Okay, we've bought ourselves some-"

Spoke too soon. We all clung to the side of the tree, as it slashed out the base of it. Eventually, the tree began to tip and it fell, causing everyone to fall to the floor. I looked up to see the creature looking at us with its tongue. Then, the creature grabbed the hull of the tree and with its mouth and lifted it up vertically. It began to violently shake the tree in an effort to knock us off. I could barely hold on. "Lilith!

"Get out of there!"

The creature had stopped shaking the tree and I looked down. Lilith had fallen into the creature's mouth!"

She looked up. "Don't-"

The creature shut its mouth and threw the tree. It rolled down and-

* * *

Ugh... My head. Shit. I looked around. Where... I was lying on the ground. I was in some clearing, the rocks nearby had been eroded to the point where it created a smooth and . My gear lay near by. Wait- "LILITH!"

I stood up, only to stumble over. Shit, I can't feel my legs right now. "GUYS! WHERE ARE YOU!"

"CHARLIE!"

I heard the rustle of leaves and the sound of footsteps. Mace came around a corner. He rushed over. "Charlie, are you okay? Do you feel funny?"

"Head feels like shit but other then that, I'm fine. Is... Lilith?"

"She's fine."

"Wait, but I saw Lilith fall! What are you talking about?"

"She used her power!"

"What!"

"Yea, it's true. She used her power and killed it."

"Is Namah okay? You? Whip?"

"Yes, she's okay. So am I as well as Whip. Just some light bumps and scrapes. You were knocked out when that thing threw the tree down the hill. Good thing Lilith was okay, otherwise..."

"I know... We got lucky. Can't take risks like that. I should have tried to shoot it. Get us away... I got stupid."

"Could bullets even hurt that thing?"

"Not likely. The hide of that thing looks thick but the tongue and eyes could have been a perfect target. Should have shot the damn thing when I had the chance."

"You did what you could."

"Should have done more."

"Well, you have another chance."

"Where are they now?"

"Lilith is getting washed off and Namah is guarding her."

"Great...Where's Whip?"

"He's... Oh no."

* * *

We all continued to walk down the mountain. The transfer from the cold mountain top to the mild temperature of the forest was not fun. I was beginning to feel groggy now and a too hot. The others were feeling tired and I had to admit, they had every right to be but we couldn't stop. Not till we were far away from the place where Lilith cleaned herself off. Smells could attract a lot of things and that giant corpse was a dinner bell to anything from overgrown Ryuu-nekos to other nightmares. Plus, Lilith was covered in that crap so the place where she washed herself was not an ideal rest point.

As we walked, my thoughts began to get to me. Why was there a tiger trap there? Who set it up? It's not like a poacher would set that sort of thing up. Too much effort, not to mention it would crush whatever was under it. Maybe the psycho girl set it up? Doesn't really seem like it... Maybe there was another assassin on the mountain with us! I looked to the others who carried on as if nothing was wrong. I still felt weird, something wasn't right. My feet were aching and I could tell the others were getting tired. We stopped by the stream and I pulled out my canteen and gave it to Lilith. "Alright, we should rest for a moment. All of us should take five after that, we keep going."

As Lilith opened the canteen, Namah sat down and groaned. "Ugh. Finnally, I swear you're like a drill Sargent, telling us where to march, when we sleep, when we talk and when we eat. Next, you'll be training us with springers and sparkers."

I laughed. "Frankly, I'd be glad if we had springers and sparkers. Then we could actually stand a chance against whatever the hell we are going up against... Maybe I should- Never mind."

"Never mind what?"

"I was about to say I should teach you all how to use my pistol but then I realized that would be a terrible idea."

Lilith shook her head. "Yeah, those things are illegal for anyone other then law enforcement to have. It's not a good idea for anyone of us to be caught with it... No offense."

I snickered. "No, no, that isn't the problem. Ammunition is the actual concern. I don't need us all to be popping off shots here. I don't have a lot of ammo for this thing so I can't waste any trying to teach you all how to shoot."

Mace didn't seem to like that answer. "So, if something happens to you and you can't use your gun anymore, then what?"

"We do what we do best. Run and hide."

"You serious?"

"It's worked so far."

"Well what if we get cornered."

"Then I'll go back and make sure we don't get cornered. From the looks of things Mace, bullets aren't going to work against what we're up against. Especially not this pea shooter."

I patted the pistol that was in its holster. He nodded. "But still, what if."

"Don't worry Mace, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure we all make it. Besides, a gun is a lot of responsibility."

"I'm responsible."

I looked at him and he tried to look at me with his best poker face before we both broke out laughing. "No you aren't."

I pulled out a portable water filter and stuck it into the water. I took a sip of the cold water and I felt better as some of the cold water went into my mouth. Then, something stopped me. Not the realization that I shouldn't drink to much, but something had stopped the end of the straw from actually getting any water through. I lifted the straw up and I screamed when I saw what was on the other side. It was the head of a sandman. The others panicked and I grabbed my pistol, pointing it at the disembodied head. Eventually, I calmed down and the others did to. I holstered my gun and picked up the head. If felt like... Paper? Or like wood. I turned around, feeling disgusted but also embarrassed. "Nevermind... The sand man was dead. I was just... Startled."

Namah looked at it. "Huh, so that's a sandman huh? I pictured... with a little more body."

Lilith came over to inspect the head closely. "I've never seen anything like this. Mace, is this the thing that attacked you and Paige the other night?"

He nodded. "Yeah! But... Where's the rest of it's body?"

I took a look at the head, specifically, where it's neck should have been. It looked like it was ripped off its body by something with great force. I looked around for anything that could resemble it's body. Eventually, I noticed it near a log on the other side of the stream. If I wasn't looking for it, I would have passed it off as a strange piece of wood. I picked up the body and held the head to it... Yep. Though, something was strange. The body looked old... A day at least. Though the body wasn't rotten because it wasn't made of meat, there were slight traces of some substance that clearly wasn't blood which had dried on the rocks. It had rained a day and a half so the blood would have been washed away otherwise. It looked... blue and seemed to have a dull shine to it. I set the head down and looked at the spray pattern It seemed likely whoever killed it had a projectile weapon. This wasn't the work of some animal, it was too clean to be an animal ripping its head off or anything like that. A blunt weapon would be likely but the smear was in more of a like rather then an arc. No way it could be a blade because the tear was to rough. Of course, there could be the chance the weapon was dull but then the spray pattern wouldn't have been a neat line.

I looked up and noticed a small tear in the tree. I smooth grove punched out by a projectile traveling at high speeds which proves my point. The angle the bullet had grazed the tree was going upwards, indicating the person likely fired at the sandman out of surprise. Someone touched me but I waved them off. I needed to follow this path. I went into the trees, following my feeling. I noticed something glinting on the floor. I knelt down and carefully uncovered it. I immediately recognized it as a cartridge case. I picked it up and looked the base to see if I could tell what it was. 5.56 x39mm. An odd round, likely something from the AK family. Whoever this was, they were human, and they were packing some heat. I also noticed the light outline of a boot print, a big one. Adult, mammal, potentially something in the canine of feline family. I looked carefully around and noticed footprints heading off into the brush.

I stood up and looked. Another sandman laid there, its body filled with two bullet holes. I continued to walk, following the footsteps. Several bodies dotted with bullet holes laid around. I noted each one had two to three bullet holes in them. Whoever this was, they were well trained. Military or competition shooter most likely. Either way, they could be helpful, given if they didn't open fire and kill me. I continued to walk through the small battlefield, following the trail of footsteps and casings. Someone grabbed my arm and I turned around to see Mace holding me. "Huh, what?"

He looked concerned. "You were out of it. We tried asking you what was going on but you just muttered and kept following this trail."

I rubbed my head and looked around. They were all there staring at me. "What are you doing?" Lilith asked.

I looked down and picked up one of the spent cartridges. "This is a five five six by thirty nine millimeter round Lilith. This is a bullet. Bullets made by humans."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. If it was a springer, the inside wouldn't smell like gunpowder. The individual who did this was likely a soldier, someone well trained in fire discipline and acting under stressful situations. They're also packing some serious heat. An assault rifle. Specifically an AK."

Namah threw up her arms. "Great, and what if this person decides he doesn't trust a bunch of kids wandering through the forest? What if he shoots us."

I looked at the trail again. "Odds are, he won't. So long as we don't jump him, we may be able to communicate with him and figure out who he is. If worse comes to worst. I can always come back."

"What if he's long gone? This all doesn't look very recent."

"Look, I... I have to do this, okay? I need to find this person. You four can go on ahead, I'll catch up."

Mace shook his head. "No! We aren't splitting up. It's too risky."

"Then just humor me for a bit here. My gut tells me this person isn't too far away."

Namah simply let out an exasperated sigh but didn't protest.

I continued to follow the trail. So far, I counted 20 of these things, not bad for whoever this was. Then, I noticed a fair bit red on the floor. I took a few sniffs trying to see if I could figure out more. Despite the fact the blood was crusted and dry, I could tell the person was a feline. I looked at the ground and saw a dead sandman who's body had stomped or bashed. I took a look at one of its arms. Blood and cloth. This thing must have wounded the person and they retaliated by crushing it to death. I saw a trail of blood leading away and a bloody hand print against a tree. This person was clawed, they killed the beast and ran off, but not before brushing past the tree for support. It must have been enough to slow him down or prevent him from attacking the creatures. I followed the trail of blood. Now, I couldn't see any more bodies or shell casings. The person was likely wounded enough to the point they couldn't fight back. Odds are, this one didn't make it.

My suspicions were confirmed when I came to a clearing and I... Found him. Something was off however. A strange blue bubble surrounded them, I could see bullets flying, the blood flying as the person's throat was cut, and the lone sandman tearing it out. They were frozen in time, like that bubble was preserving them. The person was clearly a feline dreamkeepers. Is halo was gone but his power was still active. He looked like a Spetsnaz soldier from the the modern times. He had a ballistic helmet, vest, and an AK-12. I turned. "The poor bastard's gone but he has something I want. I'll deal with it okay? Just... Wait here."

Before they could protest, I climbed out behind cover and went to the bubble. How do I go about this? I touched the bubble, it felt like molasses. I shouldn't get too deep. I looked at the sandman. I pulled out my pistol and fired at the beast, the bullet hit the bubble and stopped midair, going directly for the head. There, if this thing pops, I should be safe. I carefully reached in and grabbed the person's army. I tugged and the person slowly began to move as I tugged him out. When his finger touched the bubble's edge, it popped. The sound of automatic gunfire rang as his AK went off and the sandman screeched as my bullet killed it. The person fell to the floor, gurgling as he choked on his own blood. He held his arm up... "Чарли ... Ты?"(Charlie... You?)

No. That voice. "дядя?"(Uncle?)

He fell limp and I ripped of his helmet, trying to hold his neck. "дядя не, тне уходи!"(Uncle no, don't go!)

Too late... His pulse was gone and blood wasn't flowing out of him like it was before. I held his hand. I... He would have told me not to cry. To carry on and to keep fighting. Mourn his loss later. He deserves a proper funeral but I don't have enough time to bury him. At least I can read him a passage from the bible... That's the most I can do before I loot his corpse. "Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy; listen, and have mercy. Again we pray for the repose of the soul of the servant of God Raskolnikov Dmitri, departed this life; and for the forgiveness of his, every transgression, voluntary; and involuntary. Let the Lord establish his, soul where the Just repose; the mercies of God, the Kingdom of the Heavens, and the remission of his, sins; let us ask of Christ our immortal King and our God. Let us pray to the Lord. For You are the Resurrection, the Life, and the Repose of Your servant Raskolnikov Dmitri, O Christ our God; and to You do we send up glory, with Your Eternal Father, and Your All-Holy, Good and Life-creating Spirit, both now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen."

I looked at him and pulled off his vest, helmet, dog tags, and AK. His eyes were open. Those stern golden eyes stared back at me but seemed to have soften a little. I closed them... Now, it's like he's sleeping. I took the blanket from my pack and covered him... Goodbye Uncle Dmitri.

I sat there for a few minutes to gather myself. Eventually, I was able to put on a straight face and I stood up to face the others. They all looked concerned and I walked over. Mace was the first to ask. "Did you know him?"

"Yeah... He was a good man."

"Do you-"

"Not now Mace... Lets get going. It will be dark soon."

* * *

I couldn't sleep. Needed to stay awake. Keep watch. I sat close to a dying fire while the others slept. I continued the stroke the fire. We stopped at a large tree for the night and ate the cans of food we had taken from the compound. Not the best meal but it was enough. I'm glad we didn't lose it when we climbed down the mountain. We would have to go hungry if we did. The inside of the tree was almost flat enough for them to sleep on and well concealed. The leaves and the blankets should keep them warm enough. I looked up into the sky... At least it seems quiet

I looked at the AK-12 that sat proudly next to me. I ran my hand over it and felt the cold polymer against my fur. I picked it up and unloaded it. It felt right. I set it to the side and looked through his vest and bag. There wasn't much. 4-30 round magazines of ammo for the AK plus the half spent one loaded into the gun, a survival hatchet, and an IFAK. Uncle Dimitri must not have had enough time to grab his bug out bag I guess or he set up camp somewhere and I don't know where it is. This was his normal kit, something he would walk around the compound with. He was on patrol that night but I didn't see him when I ran away... I hope the others are okay. I stood up and slipped on his vest, tightening it and working the straps so it fit. It had a bit of weight thanks to the four magazines and ballistic plate but that was bearable. I put on my jacket and it concealed it all underneath. Now for the AK-12. Fortunately, my Uncle got a stock that extended so I compressed it and hid it in my bag. Now, I can walk around and not look so suspicious.

I added more sticks to the fire to keep it burning. I heard something behind me and turned around. It was just Mace. I smiled. "Hey Mace... Can't sleep?"

"No. Not yet."

We sat there for a while. "Something on your mind?"

He was silent for a moment. "It happened again?"

"What did?"

"You... Lilith... Namah. I it happened again. I couldn't do anything to help."

"Mace-"

"No Charlie. It... I couldn't help you guys, and I couldn't help Paige. I don't have a power and I don't have fighting skills like you."

"Mace, I told you not to beat yourself up over hopeless situations. It's not like you can save everyone or make an impact every time things hit the fan."

"Still. You died again! I mean, I don't really know about it but I know it did happen again. I was right there like you said. I could have done something!"

"And have you get shot too? We couldn't even hit her and she was attacking you as well"

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Mace. There was nothing you could do and nothing I could have done. All we can do is learn from our mistakes. We managed to avoid the girl this time right?"

"That's because I scared her away."

"Really? How?"

"She saw my... You know."

I snickered. "Wow, out of all the things that could have scared here. I never would have thought she would run away because of that. I'm almost surprised she didn't slice your dick off."

"Don't say that. I'm still shuddering just thinking about it."

"Ha... Go on. Get some sleep."

"I can't."

"Well... I'll sleep then. Make sure I won't have to repeat the day again if we get attacked."

"Okay. Sounds good. I'll let you know if something happens."


End file.
